Comparative RNA-Seq analyses of Drosophila plasmatocytes reveal gene specific signatures in response to clean injury and septic injury.

Drosophila melanogaster's blood cells (hemocytes) play essential roles in wound healing and are involved in clearing microbial infections. Here, we report the transcriptional changes of larval plasmatocytes after clean injury or infection with the Gram-negative bacterium Escherichia coli or the Gram-positive bacterium Staphylococcus aureus compared to hemocytes recovered from unchallenged larvae via RNA-Sequencing. This study reveals 676 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in hemocytes from clean injury samples compared to unchallenged samples, and 235 and 184 DEGs in E.

The adipokine NimrodB5 regulates peripheral hematopoiesis in Drosophila.

In animals, growth is regulated by the complex interplay between paracrine and endocrine signals. When food is scarce, tissues compete for nutrients, leading to critical resource allocation and prioritization. Little is known about how the immune system maturation is coordinated with the growth of other tissues.

More Than Black or White: Melanization and Toll Share Regulatory Serine Proteases in Drosophila.

The melanization response is an important defense mechanism in arthropods. This reaction is mediated by phenoloxidases (POs), which are activated by complex extracellular serine protease (SP) cascades. Here, we investigate the role of SPs in the melanization response using compound mutants in D.

Remote Control of Intestinal Stem Cell Activity by Haemocytes in Drosophila.

The JAK/STAT pathway is a key signaling pathway in the regulation of development and immunity in metazoans. In contrast to the multiple combinatorial JAK/STAT pathways in mammals, only one canonical JAK/STAT pathway exists in Drosophila. It is activated by three secreted proteins of the Unpaired family (Upd): Upd1, Upd2 and Upd3.