Pore-Forming Toxin-Like Proteins in the Anti-Parasitoid Immune Response of Drosophila.

Introduction: Species of the ananassae subgroup of Drosophilidae are highly resistant to parasitoid wasp infections. We have previously shown that the genes encoding cytolethal distending toxin B (CdtB) and the apoptosis inducing protein of 56 kDa (AIP56) were horizontally transferred to these fly species from prokaryotes and are now instrumental in the anti-parasitoid immune defense of Drosophila ananassae. Here we describe a new family of genes, which encode proteins with hemolysin E domains, heretofore only identified in prokaryotes.

Cellular Immunity of Reveals Novel Complexity in Insect Anti-Parasitoid Defense.

Coevolution of hosts and their parasites has shaped heterogeneity of effector hemocyte types, providing immune defense reactions with variable effectiveness. In this work, we characterize hemocytes of , a species that has evolved a cellular immune system with extensive variation and a high degree of plasticity. Monoclonal antibodies were raised and used in indirect immunofluorescence experiments to characterize hemocyte subpopulations, follow their functional features and differentiation.

Distinctive features of hemocyte differentiation and function revealed by transcriptomic analysis.

Background: Insects have specialized cell types that participate in the elimination of parasites, for instance, the lamellocytes of the broadly studied species . Other drosophilids, such as and the invasive , have multinucleated giant hemocytes, a syncytium of blood cells that participate in the encapsulation of the eggs or larvae of parasitoid wasps. These cells can be formed by the fusion of hemocytes in circulation or originate from the lymph gland.

Hematopoietic plasticity mapped in and other insects.

Hemocytes, similar to vertebrate blood cells, play important roles in insect development and immunity, but it is not well understood how they perform their tasks. New technology, in particular single-cell transcriptomic analysis in combination with genetics, may now change this picture. This review aims to make sense of recently published data, focusing on and comparing to data from other drosophilids, the malaria mosquito, , and the silkworm, .