Mutations of γCOP Gene Disturb Drosophila melanogaster Innate Immune Response to Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Abstract

Drosophila melanogaster (the fruit fly) is a valuable experimental platform for modeling host–pathogen interactions. It is also commonly used to define innate immunity pathways and to understand the mechanisms of both host tolerance to commensal microbiota and response to pathogenic agents. Herein, we investigate how the host response to bacterial infection is mirrored in the expression of genes of Imd and Toll pathways when D. melanogaster strains with different γCOP genetic backgrounds are infected with Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853. Using microarray technology, we have interrogated the whole-body transcriptome of infected versus uninfected fruit fly males with three specific genotypes, namely wild-type Oregon, γCOPS057302/TM6B and γCOP14a/γCOP14a. While the expression of genes pertaining to Imd and Toll is not significantly modulated by P. aeruginosa infection in Oregon males, many of the components of these cascades are up or downregulated in both infected and uninfected γCOPS057302/TM6B and γCOP14a/γCOP14a males. Thus, our results suggest that a γCOP genetic background modulates the gene expression profiles of Imd and Toll cascades involved in the innate immune response of D. melanogaster, inducing the occurrence of immunological dysfunctions in γCOP mutants.

ONT-Based Alternative Assemblies Impact on the Annotations of Unique versus Repetitive Features in the Genome of a Romanian Strain of Drosophila melanogaster

“…For a supplementary assessment of the quality of these assemblies, we performed a BLAST [ 13 ] screening in order to check for the presence of a predefined set of 53 genes ( Table S1 ) involved in D. melanogaster immunity. These genes pertain to Toll, Imd and Imd-JNK pathways, except the γCOP gene, which impacts the innate immune response of D. melanogaster [ 14 ]. Out of them, sphe was present only in Flye—Data set I assembly, while krz was missing in both Flye assemblies.…”

Molecular Mechanisms of Bacterial Communication and Their Biocontrol

“…This is the case of the red alga Delisea pulchra, which produces halogenated furanones, but also of higher plants producing derivatives of indole signals and flavonoids [24][25][26]. This interregnum communication is also perceptible in articles published in this Special Issue relating the interactions between human pathogens, such as the strong producers of biofilms Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli, with their infected hosts [27,28]. Some determinants of these pathogens are detected as cues that trigger a coordinated host response.…”