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Title [sv]
Cellulär immunitet i Drosophila ? en genetisk modell för medfödd immunitet
Title [en]
Activation of Drosophila blood cells ? a genetic model for innate immunity
Abstract [en]
BACKGROUNDOur innate immune defenses, in particular the cellular defenses, are still incompletely understood. To address this problem, we have developed Drosophila as an experimental model. The usefulness of this model was demonstrated by the early discovery of the role of Toll in Drosophila immunity, later confirmed for humans.AIMS, SIGNIFICANCEWe will use Drosophila genetics to find the innate mechanisms for activation and proliferation of blood cells. We will pay special attention to how the cellular response is controlled at the systemic level.I expect the results of our studies in Drosophila to be relevant as a model to understand innate cellular immunity and blood cell malignancies in general. In addition, insect immunity is also of direct practical importance. Some blood-feeding insects act as vectors of human disease, but not others, depending on their resistance to the pathogen. In biological pest control, the immune response of target insects is also an important limiting factor.WORKING PLANUsing genetic screens, we have now discovered more than 100 genes involved in Drosophila blood cell activation. With this background we will now find out how the innate cellular immune response is controlled, using genetic tools that we have developed. The signaling pathways of the cellular immune response will be dissected genetically, and we will study in vivo how the immune response is controlled via tissue interactions.Of particular interest is our recent discovery that tissues such as fat body (an equivalent of the human liver) and muscles are actively participating in the immune response and that signals from these tissues control or modulate the activation of blood cells. We will focus on the role of factors in the Jak/Stat, insulin, Foxo and Toll signaling pathways, using available mutants. The biological relevance of our findings will be studied in the immune response against a parasitoid wasp, Leptopilina boulardi, and their general relevance will be tested in a zebrafish system.
Principal InvestigatorHultmark, Dan
Coordinating organisation
Umeå University
Funder
Period
2016-01-01 － 2018-12-31
National Category
ImmunologyGeneticsCell and Molecular Biology
Identifiers
DiVA, id: project:1498Project, id: 2015-04594_VR

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