The homeobox gene Caudal regulates constitutive local expression of antimicrobial peptide genes in Drosophila epithelia.
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.
Ryu
Ji-Hwan
JH
Division of Molecular Life Science and Center for Cell Signaling Research, Ewha Womans University, Seoul, South Korea.
Nam
Ki-Bum
KB
Oh
Chun-Taek
CT
Nam
Hyuck-Jin
HJ
Kim
Sung-Hee
SH
Yoon
Joo-Heon
JH
Seong
Je-Kyeong
JK
Yoo
Mi-Ae
MA
Jang
In-Hwan
IH
Brey
Paul T
PT
Lee
Won-Jae
WJ
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
D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors; C084564:cad protein, Drosophila