title: The homeobox gene Caudal regulates constitutive local expression of antimicrobial peptide genes in Drosophila epithelia.
abstract: In Drosophila melanogaster, although the NF-kappaB transcription factors play a pivotal role in the inducible expression of innate immune genes, such as antimicrobial peptide genes, the exact regulatory mechanism of the tissue-specific constitutive expression of these genes in barrier epithelia is largely unknown. Here, we show that the Drosophila homeobox gene product Caudal functions as the innate immune transcription modulator that is responsible for the constitutive local expression of antimicrobial peptides cecropin and drosomycin in a tissue-specific manner. These results suggest that certain epithelial tissues have evolved a unique constitutive innate immune strategy by recruiting a developmental "master control" gene.
authors.affiliation: Division of Molecular Life Science and Center for Cell Signaling Research, Ewha Womans University, Seoul, South Korea.
authors.forename: Ji-Hwan
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Ryu
authors.forename: Ki-Bum
authors.initials: KB
authors.lastname: Nam
authors.forename: Chun-Taek
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Oh
authors.forename: Hyuck-Jin
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Nam
authors.forename: Sung-Hee
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Joo-Heon
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Yoon
authors.forename: Je-Kyeong
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Seong
authors.forename: Mi-Ae
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Yoo
authors.forename: In-Hwan
authors.initials: IH
authors.lastname: Jang
authors.forename: Paul T
authors.initials: PT
authors.lastname: Brey
authors.forename: Won-Jae
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics*; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D004848:Epithelium / Q000378:metabolism*; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D007113:Immunity, Innate / Q000502:physiology; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D014157:Transcription Factors
chemical_list: D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors; C084564:cad protein, Drosophila