Differential induction of antibacterial transcripts in Drosophila susceptible and resistant to parasitism by Leptopilina boulardi
1996
Coustau, C. | Carton, Y. | Nappi, A. | Shotkoski, F. | Ffrench-Constant, R.
Two well-described elements of the immune response of insects include encapsulation of metazoan parasites (blood-cell-mediated) and the production of antibacterial peptides (humoral and/or cellular). However, the possible functional interrelationship between cellular encapsulation and antibacterial responses, and the extent to which the two components may be co-regulated, are poorly understood. We used a novel approach involving strains of Drosophila resistant (R) or susceptible (S) to the wasp parasitoid Lpetopilina boulardi to study the expression of three genes involved in the antibacterial response: Dorsal-related immunity factor (Dif), Cecropin (CecA 1) and Diptericin (Dip). Both S and R strains produced high levels of all antibacterial transcripts upon bacterial injection. However, when parasitized the R strain showed no induction whilst the S strain did. This lack of antibacterial transcript induction in the parasitized R strain not only clarifies the separation of these two types of immune response but also raises the fascinating possibility of a link, in their genetic regulation.
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