Temporal patterns in immune responses to a range of microbial insults (Tenebrio molitor).
Much work has elucidated the pathways and mechanisms involved in the production of insect immune effector systems. However, the temporal nature of these responses with respect to different immune insults is less well understood. This study investigated the magnitude and temporal variation in phenoloxidase and antimicrobial activity in the mealworm beetle Tenebrio molitor in response to a number of different synthetic and real immune elicitors. We found that antimicrobial activity in haemolymph increased rapidly during the first 48h after a challenge and was maintained at high levels for at least 14 days. There was no difference in the magnitude of responses to live or dead Escherichia coli or Bacillus subtilis. While peptidoglylcan also elicited a long-lasting antimicrobial response, the response to LPS was short lived. There was no long-lasting upregulation of phenoloxidase activity, suggesting that this immune effector system is not involved in the management of microbial infections over a long time scale.
Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK. e.haine@sheffield.ac.uk
Eleanor R
ER
Haine
Laura C
LC
Pollitt
Yannick
Y
Moret
Michael T
MT
Siva-Jothy
Jens
J
Rolff
D000818:Animals; D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides / Q000032:analysis*; D001412:Bacillus subtilis / Q000502:physiology; D004156:Catechol Oxidase / Q000032:analysis; D004792:Enzyme Precursors / Q000032:analysis; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000502:physiology; D006458:Hemolymph / Q000378:metabolism*; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions; D014442:Monophenol Monooxygenase / Q000032:analysis*; D013712:Tenebrio / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology; D013997:Time Factors
D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides; D004792:Enzyme Precursors; C038451:pro-phenoloxidase; D004156:Catechol Oxidase; D014442:Monophenol Monooxygenase