GATA transcription factor required for immunity to bacterial and fungal pathogens.
In the past decade, Caenorhabditis elegans has been used to dissect several genetic pathways involved in immunity; however, little is known about transcription factors that regulate the expression of immune effectors. C. elegans does not appear to have a functional homolog of the key immune transcription factor NF-kappaB. Here we show that that the intestinal GATA transcription factor ELT-2 is required for both immunity to Salmonella enterica and expression of a C-type lectin gene, clec-67, which is expressed in the intestinal cells and is a good marker of S. enterica infection. We also found that ELT-2 is required for immunity to Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterococcus faecalis, and Cryptococcus neoformans. Lack of immune inhibition by DAF-2, which negatively regulates the FOXO transcription factor DAF-16, rescues the hypersusceptibility to pathogens phenotype of elt-2(RNAi) animals. Our results indicate that ELT-2 is part of a multi-pathogen defense pathway that regulates innate immunity independently of the DAF-2/DAF-16 signaling pathway.
Kerry
Samantha
S
Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America.
TeKippe
Michael
M
Gaddis
Nathan C
NC
Aballay
Alejandro
A
D000818:Animals; D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified; D001419:Bacteria / Q000276:immunology / Q000472:pathogenicity; D001483:Base Sequence; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology*; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D017931:DNA Primers / Q000235:genetics; D051858:Forkhead Transcription Factors; D005658:Fungi / Q000276:immunology / Q000472:pathogenicity; D050980:GATA Transcription Factors / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D017238:Genes, Helminth; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D007113:Immunity, Innate / Q000235:genetics; D034622:RNA Interference; D011972:Receptor, Insulin / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D019779:Salmonella enterica / Q000276:immunology / Q000472:pathogenicity; D015398:Signal Transduction; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology
D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D017931:DNA Primers; C094134:ELT-2 protein, C elegans; D051858:Forkhead Transcription Factors; D050980:GATA Transcription Factors; D014157:Transcription Factors; C108831:daf-16 protein, C elegans; C107483:DAF-2 protein, C elegans; D011972:Receptor, Insulin