Publication details
Pathogen entrapment by transglutaminase - a conserved early innate immune mechanism
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2010 |
| Type | Article in Periodical |
| Magazine / Source | PLoS Pathogens |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Web | http://www.plospathogens.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.ppat.1000763 |
| Field | Immunology |
| Keywords | Drosophila; Immunity; Transglutaminase |
| Description | Clotting systems are required in almost all animals to prevent loss of body fluids after injury. We compared clotting of human blood and insect hemolymph to study the best-conserved component of clotting systems, namely the Drosophila enzyme transglutaminase and its vertebrate homologue Factor XIIIa. Using both a human and a natural insect pathogen we provide functional proof for an immune function for transglutaminase (TG). Drosophila larvae with reduced TG levels show increased mortality after septic injury. The same larvae are also more susceptible to a natural infection involving entomopathogenic nematodes and their symbiotic bacteria while neither phagocytosis, phenoloxidase or - as previously shown- the Toll or imd pathway contribute to immunity. These findings will help to guide further strategies to reduce the damaging effects of clotting and enhance its beneficial contribution to immune reactions. |