Insect growth-blocking peptide (GBP) signaling pathway mediates acute immune reactions during infectious and non-infectious stress

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 23370034
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Animal physiology/Animal behavior
• Research Institution: Saga University
• Principal Investigator: HAYAKAWA Yoichi 佐賀大学, 農学部, 教授 (50164926)
• Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha): AIZAWA Tomoyasu 北海道大学, 大学院理学研究科, 准教授 (40333596)
• Research Collaborator: MATSUMOTO Hitoshi 佐賀大学, 農学部, 非常勤研究員 ; FURIHATA Shunsuke 鹿児島大学連合, 大学院農学研究科
• Project Period (FY): 2011-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: 昆虫 / サイトカイン / Growth blocking peptide / ストレス / 自然免疫 / 体液性免疫 / 細胞性免疫

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), major innate immune effectors, are induced to protect hosts against invading microorganisms. AMPs are also induced under non-infectious stress; however, the signaling pathways of non-infectious stress-induced AMP expression are yet unclear. We demonstrated that GBP overexpression in Drosophila elevated expression of AMPs. GBP-induced AMP expression did not require Toll and immune deficiency (Imd) pathway-related genes, but imd and basket were essential, indicating that GBP signaling in Drosophila did not use the orthodox Toll or Imd pathway but used the JNK pathway after association with the adaptor protein Imd. The enhancement of AMP expression by non-infectious physical or environmental stressors was apparent in controls but not in GBP-knockdown larvae. These results indicate that the Drosophila GBP signaling pathway mediates acute innate immune reactions under various stresses, regardless of whether they are infectious or non-infectious.

Free Research Field

昆虫生理・分子生物学