title: Overlapping and unique signatures in the proteomic and transcriptomic responses of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans toward pathogenic Bacillus thuringiensis.
abstract: Pathogen infection can activate multiple signaling cascades that ultimately alter the abundance of molecules in cells. This change can be measured both at the transcript and protein level. Studies analyzing the immune response at both levels are, however, rare. Here, we compare transcriptome and proteome data generated after infection of the nematode and model organism Caenorhabditis elegans with the Gram-positive pathogen Bacillus thuringiensis. Our analysis revealed a high overlap between abundance changes of corresponding transcripts and gene products, especially for genes encoding C-type lectin domain-containing proteins, indicating their particular role in worm immunity. We additionally identified a unique signature at the proteome level, suggesting that the C. elegans response to infection is shaped by changes beyond transcription. Such effects appear to be influenced by AMP-activated protein kinases (AMPKs), which may thus represent previously unknown regulators of C. elegans immune defense.
authors.affiliation: Evolutionary Ecology and Genetics, Zoological Institute, Christian-Albrechts University of Kiel, Germany.
authors.forename: Wentao
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Evolutionary Ecology and Genetics, Zoological Institute, Christian-Albrechts University of Kiel, Germany.
authors.forename: Katja
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Dierking
authors.affiliation: Institute of Clinical Molecular Biology, Christian-Albrechts University of Kiel, Germany.
authors.forename: Daniela
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Esser
authors.affiliation: Systematic Proteome Research and Bioanalytics, Institute for Experimental Medicine, Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel, Germany.
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tholey
authors.affiliation: Comparative Immunology, Zoological Institute, Christian-Albrechts University of Kiel, Germany.
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Leippe
authors.affiliation: Institute of Clinical Molecular Biology, Christian-Albrechts University of Kiel, Germany.
authors.forename: Philip
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rosenstiel
authors.affiliation: Evolutionary Ecology and Genetics, Zoological Institute, Christian-Albrechts University of Kiel, Germany. Electronic address: hschulenburg@zoologie.uni-kiel.de.
authors.forename: Hinrich
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Schulenburg
mesh_terms: D000249:Adenosine Monophosphate / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D001413:Bacillus thuringiensis / Q000276:immunology*; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D016908:Gram-Positive Bacterial Infections / Q000276:immunology*; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions / Q000235:genetics; D007113:Immunity, Innate / Q000235:genetics; D037181:Lectins, C-Type / Q000235:genetics; D011494:Protein Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*; D020543:Proteome; D012323:RNA Processing, Post-Transcriptional; D013045:Species Specificity; D059467:Transcriptome
chemical_list: D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D037181:Lectins, C-Type; D020543:Proteome; D000249:Adenosine Monophosphate; D011494:Protein Kinases
keywords: Bacillus thuringiensis; C-type lectins; Caenorhabditis elegans; Innate immunity; Proteomics; RNA-Seq