The humoral antibacterial response of Drosophila.
Drosophila, like other insects, responds to the injection of bacteria by the rapid and transient synthesis of a battery of potent antibacterial peptides. Only a few of these peptides have been fully characterized to date. We review our recent data on the control of the expression of a gene encoding one of the induced peptides, i.e. diptericin. Our data highlight the role of proximal cis-regulatory motifs similar to regulatory elements binding NF-kappa B and NF-IL6 in promoters of some immune genes of mammals. We argue that the Drosophila host defense is homologous to the mammalian acute phase response.
Laboratoire de Biologie Générale, Université Louis Pasteur, URA 1490 du CNRS, Strasbourg, France.
J A
JA
Hoffmann
C
C
Hetru
J M
JM
Reichhart
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D001483:Base Sequence; D004330:Drosophila / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology*; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D017344:Genes, Insect; D007301:Insect Hormones / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D019476:Insect Proteins; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D017385:Sequence Homology
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; C054756:DptA protein, Drosophila; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D007301:Insect Hormones; D019476:Insect Proteins