The Splicing Factor RNA-Binding Fox Protein 1 Mediates the Cellular Immune Response in Drosophila melanogaster

• Published in: The Journal of immunology (1950) Vol. 201; no. 4; pp. 1154 - 1164
• Main Authors: Nazario-Toole, Ashley E, Robalino, Javier, Okrah, Kwame, Corrada-Bravo, Hector, Mount, Stephen M, Wu, Louisa P
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Association of Immunologists 15-08-2018
• Subjects: Animals; Blood cells; Cell Adhesion Molecules - genetics; Cell Adhesion Molecules - metabolism; Down's syndrome; Drosophila; Drosophila melanogaster; Drosophila melanogaster - immunology; Drosophila Proteins - genetics; Drosophila Proteins - metabolism; FOX protein; Fruit flies; Gene Knockout Techniques; Genetic diversity; Hemocytes; Hemocytes - immunology; Humans; Immune response; Immune response (cell-mediated); Immunity, Cellular; Immunoglobulins; Insects; Phagocytes; Phagocytosis; Ribonucleic acid; RNA; RNA Splicing Factors - genetics; RNA Splicing Factors - metabolism; RNA-Binding Proteins - genetics; RNA-Binding Proteins - metabolism; Splicing factors; Staphylococcal Infections - genetics; Staphylococcal Infections - immunology; Staphylococcus aureus - physiology
• ISSN: 0022-1767; 1550-6606
• DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1800496

The uptake and destruction of bacteria by phagocytic cells is an essential defense mechanism in metazoans. To identify novel genes involved in the phagocytosis of
, a major human pathogen, we assessed the phagocytic capacity of adult blood cells (hemocytes) of the fruit fly,
by testing several lines of the Drosophila Genetic Reference Panel. Natural genetic variation in the gene
(
) correlated with low phagocytic capacity in hemocytes, pointing to Rbfox1 as a candidate regulator of phagocytosis. Loss of Rbfox1 resulted in increased expression of the Ig superfamily member
(
). Silencing of
in Rbfox1-depleted blood cells rescued the fly's cellular immune response to
, indicating that downregulation of
by Rbfox1 is critical for
phagocytosis in
To our knowledge, this study is the first to demonstrate a link between
and host defense against
.