Publication Date:
2005-08-20
Description:
The extensive somatic diversification of immune receptors is a hallmark of higher vertebrates. However, whether molecular diversity contributes to immune protection in invertebrates is unknown. We present evidence that Drosophila immune-competent cells have the potential to express more than 18,000 isoforms of the immunoglobulin (Ig)-superfamily receptor Down syndrome cell adhesion molecule (Dscam). Secreted protein isoforms of Dscam were detected in the hemolymph, and hemocyte-specific loss of Dscam impaired the efficiency of phagocytic uptake of bacteria, possibly due to reduced bacterial binding. Importantly, the molecular diversity of Dscam transcripts generated through a mechanism of alternative splicing is highly conserved across major insect orders, suggesting an unsuspected molecular complexity of the innate immune system of insects.〈br /〉〈span class="detail_caption"〉Notes: 〈/span〉Watson, Fiona L -- Puttmann-Holgado, Roland -- Thomas, Franziska -- Lamar, David L -- Hughes, Michael -- Kondo, Masahiro -- Rebel, Vivienne I -- Schmucker, Dietmar -- 1RO1-NS46747-01/NS/NINDS NIH HHS/ -- New York, N.Y. -- Science. 2005 Sep 16;309(5742):1874-8. Epub 2005 Aug 18.〈br /〉〈span class="detail_caption"〉Author address: 〈/span〉Department of Cancer Biology, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.〈br /〉〈span class="detail_caption"〉Record origin:〈/span〉 〈a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16109846" target="_blank"〉PubMed〈/a〉
Keywords:
*Alternative Splicing
;
Amino Acid Sequence
;
Animals
;
Animals, Genetically Modified
;
Brain/metabolism
;
Cell Adhesion Molecules
;
Cell Line
;
Drosophila Proteins/chemistry/*genetics/*immunology/metabolism
;
Drosophila melanogaster/*genetics/*immunology/metabolism
;
Escherichia coli/immunology/metabolism
;
Fat Body/metabolism
;
Hemocytes/immunology/*metabolism
;
Hemolymph/chemistry
;
Immunity, Innate
;
Immunoglobulins/chemistry
;
Insects/chemistry/genetics
;
Molecular Sequence Data
;
Neurons/metabolism
;
Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis
;
Phagocytosis
;
Protein Isoforms/chemistry/genetics/metabolism
;
Protein Structure, Tertiary
;
RNA Interference
;
Receptors, Immunologic/immunology/metabolism
Print ISSN:
0036-8075
Electronic ISSN:
1095-9203
Topics:
Biology
,
Chemistry and Pharmacology
,
Computer Science
,
Medicine
,
Natural Sciences in General
,
Physics
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