Tissue and stage-specific expression of the Tolls in Drosophila embryos.
The Drosophila transmembrane receptor Toll plays a key role in specifying the dorsoventral axis of the embryo. At later stages of development, it controls the immune response of the fly to fungal and Gram-positive bacterial infections. The Drosophila genome has a total of nine Toll-like genes, including the previously characterized Toll (Toll-1) and 18-wheeler (Toll-2). Here we describe the embryonic expression patterns of the seven Toll-like genes Toll-3 through Toll-9. We find that these genes have distinct expression domains and that their expression is dynamically changing throughout embryonic development. This complex and tissue-specific regulation of Toll-like gene expression strongly suggests a role in embryonic development for most Drosophila Tolls. The evolving picture on the Toll family members in Drosophila contrasts with that of mammalian Toll-like receptors, which are predominantly expressed in immune responsive cells where their activation occurs via microbial structural determinants.
Kambris
Zakaria
Z
Institut de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, UPR 9022 du CNRS, 15, rue René Descartes, 67084 Strasbourg Cedex, France.
Hoffmann
Jules A
JA
Imler
Jean-Luc
JL
Capovilla
Maria
M
D000818:Animals; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D004330:Drosophila / Q000196:embryology* / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D007814:Larva / Q000276:immunology; D005810:Multigene Family; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D051193:Toll-Like Receptors
D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface; C068721:Tl protein, Drosophila; D051193:Toll-Like Receptors