title: In vitro induction of cecropin genes--an immune response in a Drosophila blood cell line.
abstract: The Drosophila melanogaster cell line mbn-2 was explored as a model system to study insect immune responses in vitro. This cell line is of blood cell origin, derived from larval hemocytes of the mutant lethal (2) malignant blood neoplasm (1(2)mbn). The mbn-2 cells respond to microbial substances by the activation of cecropin genes, coding for bactericidal peptides. The response is stronger than that previously described for SL2 cells, and four other tested Drosophila cell lines were totally unresponsive. Bacterial lipopolysaccharide, algal laminarin (a beta-1,3-glucan), and bacterial flagellin were strong inducers, bacterial peptidoglycan fragments gave a weaker response, whereas a formyl-methionine-containing peptide had no effect. Experiments with different drugs indicate that the response may be mediated by a G protein, but not by protein kinase C or eicosanoids, and that it requires a protein factor with a high rate of turnover.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biology, Stockholm University, Sweden.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Samakovlis
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Asling
authors.forename: H G
authors.initials: HG
authors.lastname: Boman
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gateff
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hultmark
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides; D002460:Cell Line; D003513:Cycloheximide / Q000494:pharmacology; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000276:immunology*; D005408:Flagellin / Q000494:pharmacology; D017344:Genes, Insect / Q000235:genetics*; D005936:Glucans; D006434:Hemocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D007301:Insect Hormones / Q000235:genetics*; D007814:Larva; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000494:pharmacology; D011134:Polysaccharides / Q000494:pharmacology; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects; D014158:Transcription, Genetic / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides; D005936:Glucans; D007301:Insect Hormones; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; D011134:Polysaccharides; D005408:Flagellin; C031161:cecropin A; C008247:laminaran; D003513:Cycloheximide