Genome-wide RNAi screen identifies genes involved in intestinal pathogenic bacterial infection.
Innate immunity represents the first line of defense in animals. We report a genome-wide in vivo Drosophila RNA interference screen to uncover genes involved in susceptibility or resistance to intestinal infection with the bacterium Serratia marcescens. We first employed whole-organism gene suppression, followed by tissue-specific silencing in gut epithelium or hemocytes to identify several hundred genes involved in intestinal antibacterial immunity. Among the pathways identified, we showed that the JAK-STAT signaling pathway controls host defense in the gut by regulating stem cell proliferation and thus epithelial cell homeostasis. Therefore, we revealed multiple genes involved in antibacterial defense and the regulation of innate immunity.
Cronin
Shane J F
SJ
IMBA, Institute of Molecular Biotechnology of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, A-1030 Vienna, Austria.
Nehme
Nadine T
NT
Limmer
Stefanie
S
Liegeois
Samuel
S
Pospisilik
J Andrew
JA
Schramek
Daniel
D
Leibbrandt
Andreas
A
Simoes
Ricardo de Matos
Rde M
Gruber
Susanne
S
Puc
Urszula
U
Ebersberger
Ingo
I
Zoranovic
Tamara
T
Neely
G Gregory
GG
von Haeseler
Arndt
A
Ferrandon
Dominique
D
Penninger
Josef M
JM
D000818:Animals; D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology*; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D049750:Genome, Insect; D006434:Hemocytes / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000382:microbiology; D006706:Homeostasis; D007113:Immunity, Innate / Q000235:genetics*; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000382:microbiology; D053612:Janus Kinases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D023421:Models, Animal; D034622:RNA Interference; D050791:STAT Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D016868:Serratia Infections / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology; D012706:Serratia marcescens / Q000276:immunology* / Q000502:physiology; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology
D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D050791:STAT Transcription Factors; D053612:Janus Kinases