title: Expression and regulation of Spätzle-processing enzyme in Drosophila.
abstract: The Drosophila melanogaster Toll receptor controls embryonic dorsal-ventral axis formation and is crucial for the innate immune response. In both cases, Toll is activated by the enzymatically cleaved form of its ligand Spätzle (Spz). During axis formation, Spz is cleaved by the maternally provided serine protease Easter while the Spätzle-processing enzyme (SPE) activates Spz after infection. We confirm the role of SPE in immunity and show that it is a zygotic gene specifically expressed in immune tissues implying that the dual activation of Spz is achieved by differential spatiotemporal expression of two similar but distinct serine proteases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Medical Science and Lund Strategic Research Center for Stem Cell Biology and Cell Therapy, Lund University, BMC B13, Klinikgatan 26, 22184 Lund, Sweden.
authors.forename: Shai
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mulinari
authors.forename: Udo
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Häcker
authors.forename: Casimiro
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Castillejo-López
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster; D005216:Fat Body / Q000166:cytology / Q000196:embryology* / Q000276:immunology; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental / Q000502:physiology*; D015971:Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic / Q000502:physiology*; D038081:Organogenesis / Q000502:physiology*; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000276:immunology; D051193:Toll-Like Receptors / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D051193:Toll-Like Receptors; C086179:spz protein, Drosophila; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases; C078099:ea protein, Drosophila