title: Challenge of Drosophila melanogaster with Cryptococcus neoformans and role of the innate immune response.
abstract: We found that the ingestion of Cryptococcus neoformans by Drosophila melanogaster resulted in the death of the fly but that the ingestion of Saccharomyces cerevisiae or the nonpathogenic Cryptococcus kuetzingii or Cryptococcus laurentii did not. The C. neoformans protein kinase A and RAS signal transduction pathways, previously shown to be involved in virulence in mammals, also played a role in killing Drosophila. Mutation of the Toll immune response pathway, the predominant antifungal pathway of the fly, did not play a role in Drosophila defense following ingestion of the yeast. However, the Toll pathway was necessary for the clearance of C. neoformans introduced directly into the hemolymph of D. melanogaster and for the survival of systemically infected flies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital. Shriner's Burns Institute, Boston, Massachusetts 02114, USA.
authors.forename: Yiorgos
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Apidianakis
authors.forename: Laurence G
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Rahme
authors.forename: Joseph
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Heitman
authors.forename: Frederick M
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Ausubel
authors.forename: Stephen B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Calderwood
authors.forename: Eleftherios
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mylonakis
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D003455:Cryptococcus neoformans / Q000235:genetics / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D017868:Cyclic AMP-Dependent Protein Kinases; D004064:Digestive System / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology*; D007113:Immunity, Innate; D009154:Mutation; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D015398:Signal Transduction; D037521:Virulence Factors / Q000276:immunology; D018631:ras Proteins / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D037521:Virulence Factors; C439909:imd protein, Drosophila; C086179:spz protein, Drosophila; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; D017868:Cyclic AMP-Dependent Protein Kinases; C417283:Ras85D protein, Drosophila; D018631:ras Proteins