title: Constitutive expression of a complement-like protein in toll and JAK gain-of-function mutants of Drosophila.
abstract: We show that Drosophila expresses four genes encoding proteins with significant similarities with the thiolester-containing proteins of the complement C3/alpha(2)-macroglobulin superfamily. The genes are transcribed at a low level during all stages of development, and their expression is markedly up-regulated after an immune challenge. For one of these genes, which is predominantly expressed in the larval fat body, we observe a constitutive expression in gain-of-function mutants of the Janus kinase (JAK) hop and a reduced inducibility in loss-of-function hop mutants. We also observe a constitutive expression in gain-of-function Toll mutants. We discuss the possible roles of these novel complement-like proteins in the Drosophila host defense.
authors.affiliation: Institut de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Unité Propre de Recherche, Strasbourg, France. M.Lagueux@ibmc.u-strasbg.fr
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lagueux
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Perrodou
authors.forename: E A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Levashina
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Capovilla
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Hoffmann
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D003176:Complement C3 / Q000235:genetics; D004330:Drosophila / Q000235:genetics*; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D004952:Esters; D019476:Insect Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D053612:Janus Kinases; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000235:genetics*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation; D011505:Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / Q000235:genetics*; D011506:Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D013438:Sulfhydryl Compounds / Q000737:chemistry; D051193:Toll-Like Receptors; D014157:Transcription Factors; D014158:Transcription, Genetic; D000511:alpha-Macroglobulins / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D003176:Complement C3; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D004952:Esters; D019476:Insect Proteins; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D011506:Proteins; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface; D013438:Sulfhydryl Compounds; C068721:Tl protein, Drosophila; D051193:Toll-Like Receptors; D014157:Transcription Factors; D000511:alpha-Macroglobulins; D011505:Protein-Tyrosine Kinases; D053612:Janus Kinases; C085845:hop protein, Drosophila