Shoichiro Kurata

Autophagic control of listeria through intracellular innate immune recognition in drosophila

Autophagy, an evolutionally conserved homeostatic process for catabolizing cytoplasmic components, has been linked to the elimination of intracellular pathogens during mammalian innate immune responses. However, the mechanisms underlying cytoplasmic infection-induced autophagy and the function of autophagy in host survival after infection with intracellular pathogens remain unknown. Here we report that in drosophila, recognition of diaminopimelic acid–type peptidoglycan by the pattern-recognition receptor PGRP-LE was crucial for the induction of autophagy and that autophagy prevented the intracellular growth of Listeria monocytogenes and promoted host survival after this infection. Autophagy induction occurred independently of the Toll and IMD innate signaling pathways. Our findings define a pathway leading from the intracellular pattern-recognition receptors to the induction of autophagy to host defense.

Overexpression of a pattern-recognition receptor, peptidoglycan-recognition protein-LE, activates imd/relish-mediated antibacterial defense and the prophenoloxidase cascade in Drosophila larvae

In Drosophila, microbial infection activates an antimicrobial defense system involving the activation of proteolytic cascades in the hemolymph and intracellular signaling pathways, the immune deficiency (imd) and Toll pathways, in immune-responsive tissues. The mechanisms for microbial recognition are largely unknown. We report that, in larvae, the imd-mediated antibacterial defense is activated by peptidoglycan-recognition protein (PGRP)-LE, a PGRP-family member in Drosophila. Consistent with this, PGRP-LE binds to the diaminopimelic acid-type peptidoglycan, a cell-wall component of the bacteria capable of activating the imd pathway, but not to the lysine-type peptidoglycan. Moreover, PGRP-LE activates the prophenoloxidase cascade, a proteolytic cascade in the hemolymph. Therefore, PGRP-LE acts as a pattern-recognition receptor to the diaminopimelic acid-type peptidoglycan and activates both the proteolytic cascade and intracellular signaling in Drosophila immunity.

PGRP-LC and PGRP-LE have essential yet distinct functions in the drosophila immune response to monomeric DAP-type peptidoglycan.

Drosophila rely entirely on an innate immune response to combat microbial infection. Diaminopimelic acid–containing peptidoglycan, produced by Gram-negative bacteria, is recognized by two receptors, PGRP-LC and PGRP-LE, and activates a homolog of transcription factor NF-κB through the Imd signaling pathway. Here we show that full-length PGRP-LE acted as an intracellular receptor for monomeric peptidoglycan, whereas a version of PGRP-LE containing only the PGRP domain functioned extracellularly, like the mammalian CD14 molecule, to enhance PGRP-LC-mediated peptidoglycan recognition on the cell surface. Interaction with the imd signaling protein was not required for PGRP-LC signaling. Instead, PGRP-LC and PGRP-LE signaled through a receptor-interacting protein homotypic interaction motif–like motif. These data demonstrate that like mammals, drosophila use both extracellular and intracellular receptors, which have conserved signaling mechanisms, for innate immune recognition.

Peptidoglycan recognition protein (PGRP)-LE and PGRP-LC act synergistically in Drosophila immunity.

In innate immunity, pattern recognition molecules recognize cell wall components of microorganisms and activate subsequent immune responses, such as the induction of antimicrobial peptides and melanization in Drosophila. The diaminopimelic acid (DAP)‐type peptidoglycan potently activates imd‐dependent induction of antibacterial peptides. Peptidoglycan recognition protein (PGRP) family members act as pattern recognition molecules. PGRP‐LC loss‐of‐function mutations affect the imd‐dependent induction of antibacterial peptides and resistance to Gram‐negative bacteria, whereas PGRP‐LE binds to the DAP‐type peptidoglycan, and a gain‐of‐function mutation induces constitutive activation of both the imd pathway and melanization. Here, we generated PGRP‐LE null mutants and report that PGRP‐LE functions synergistically with PGRP‐LC in producing resistance to Escherichia coli and Bacillus megaterium infections, which have the DAP‐type peptidoglycan. Consistent with this, PGRP‐LE acts both upstream and in parallel with PGRP‐LC in the imd pathway, and is required for infection‐dependent activation of melanization in Drosophila. A role for PGRP‐LE in the epithelial induction of antimicrobial peptides is also suggested.

Structural Basis for Preferential Recognition of Diaminopimelic Acid-type Peptidoglycan by a Subset of Peptidoglycan Recognition Proteins

Drosophila peptidoglycan recognition protein (PGRP)-LCx and -LCa are receptors that preferentially recognize meso-diaminopimelic acid (DAP)-type peptidoglycan (PGN) present in Gram-negative bacteria over lysine-type PGN of Gram-positive bacteria and initiate the IMD signaling pathway, whereas PGRP-LE plays a synergistic role in this process of innate immune defense. How these receptors can distinguish the two types of PGN remains unclear. Here the structure of the PGRP domain of Drosophila PGRP-LE in complex with tracheal cytotoxin (TCT), the monomeric DAP-type PGN, reveals a buried ionic interaction between the unique carboxyl group of DAP and a previously unrecognized arginine residue. This arginine is conserved in the known DAP-type PGN-interacting PGRPs and contributes significantly to the affinity of the protein for the ligand. Unexpectedly, TCT induces infinite head-to-tail dimerization of PGRP-LE, in which the disaccharide moiety, but not the peptide stem, of TCT is positioned at the dimer interface. A sequence comparison suggests that TCT induces heterodimerization of the ectodomains of PGRP-LCx and -LCa in a closely analogous manner to prime the IMD signaling pathway, except that the heterodimer formation is nonperpetuating.

Conservation of Pax 6 function and upstream activation by Notch signaling in eye development of frogs and flies

Loss of Pax 6 function leads to an eyeless phenotype in both mammals and insects, and ectopic expression of both the Drosophila and the mouse gene leads to the induction of ectopic eyes in Drosophila, which suggested to us that Pax 6 might be a universal master control gene for eye morphogenesis. Here, we report the reciprocal experiment in which the RNAs of the Drosophila Pax 6 homologs, eyeless and twin of eyeless, are transferred into a vertebrate embryo; i.e., early Xenopus embryos at the 2- and 16-cell stages. In both cases, ectopic eye structures are formed. To understand the genetic program specifying eye morphogenesis, we have analyzed the regulatory mechanisms of Pax 6 expression that initiates eye development. Previously, we have demonstrated that Notch signaling regulates the expression of eyeless and twin of eyeless in Drosophila. Here, we show that in Xenopus, activation of Notch signaling also induces eye-related gene expression, including Pax 6, in isolated animal caps. In Xenopus embryos, the activation of Notch signaling causes eye duplications and proximal eye defects, which are also induced by overexpression of eyeless and twin of eyeless. These findings indicate that the gene regulatory cascade is similar in vertebrates and invertebrates.

Chemically synthesized pathogen‐associated molecular patterns increase the expression of peptidoglycan recognition proteins via toll‐like receptors, NOD1 and NOD2 in human oral epithelial cells

Peptidoglycan recognition proteins (PGRPs), a novel family of pattern recognition molecules (PRMs) in innate immunity conserved from insects to mammals, recognize bacterial cell wall peptidoglycan (PGN) and are suggested to act as anti‐bacterial factors. In humans, four kinds of PGRPs (PGRP‐L, ‐Iα, ‐Iβ and ‐S) have been cloned and all four human PGRPs bind PGN. In this study, we examined the possible regulation of the expression of PGRPs in oral epithelial cells upon stimulation with chemically synthesized  pathogen‐associated  molecular patterns (PAMPs) in bacterial cell surface components: Escherichia coli‐type tryacyl lipopeptide (Pam3CSSNA), E. coli‐type lipid A (LA‐15‐PP), diaminopimelic acid containing desmuramyl peptide (γ‐ d‐glutamyl‐meso‐DAP; iE‐DAP), and muramyldipeptide (MDP). These synthetic PAMPs markedly upregulated the mRNA expression of the four PGRPs and cell surface expression of PGRP‐Iα and ‐Iβ, but did not induce either mRNA expression or secretion of inflammatory cytokines, in oral epithelial cells. Suppression of the expression of Toll‐like receptor (TLR)2, TLR4, nucleotide‐binding oligomerization domain (NOD)1 and NOD2 by RNA interference specifically inhibited the upregulation of PGRP mRNA expression induced by Pam3CSSNA, LA‐15‐PP, iE‐DAP and MDP respectively. These PAMPs definitely activated nuclear factor (NF)‐κB in the epithelial cells, and suppression of NF‐κB activation clearly prevented the induction of PGRP mRNA expression induced by these PAMPs in the cells. These findings suggested that bacterial PAMPs induced the expression of PGRPs, but not proinflammatory cytokines, in oral epithelial cells, and the PGRPs might be involved in host defence against bacterial invasion without accompanying inflammatory responses.

Peptidoglycan recognition proteins in Drosophila immunity

Innate immunity is the front line of self-defense against infectious non-self in vertebrates and invertebrates. The innate immune system is mediated by germ-line encoding pattern recognition molecules (pathogen sensors) that recognize conserved molecular patterns present in the pathogens but absent in the host. Peptidoglycans (PGN) are essential cell wall components of almost all bacteria, except mycoplasma lacking a cell wall, which provides the host immune system an advantage for detecting invading bacteria. Several families of pattern recognition molecules that detect PGN and PGN-derived compounds have been indentified, and the role of PGRP family members in host defense is relatively well-characterized in Drosophila. This review focuses on the role of PGRP family members in the recognition of invading bacteria and the activation and modulation of immune responses in Drosophila.

A newly established in vitro culture using transgenic Drosophila reveals functional coupling between the phospholipase A2-generated fatty acid cascade and lipopolysaccharide-dependent activation of the immune deficiency (imd) pathway in insect immunity.

Innate immunity is the first line of defence against infectious micro-organisms, and the basic mechanisms of pathogen recognition and response activation are evolutionarily conserved. In mammals, the innate immune response in combination with antigen-specific recognition is required for the activation of adaptive immunity. Therefore, innate immunity is a pharmaceutical target for the development of immune regulators. Here, for the purpose of pharmaceutical screening, we established an in vitro culture based on the innate immune response of Drosophila. The in vitro system is capable of measuring lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-dependent activation of the immune deficiency (imd) pathway, which is similar to the tumour necrosis factor signalling pathway in mammals. Screening revealed that well-known inhibitors of phospholipase A(2) (PLA(2)), dexamethasone (Dex) and p-bromophenacyl bromide (BPB) inhibit LPS-dependent activation of the imd pathway. The inhibitory effects of Dex and BPB were suppressed by the addition of an excess of three (arachidonic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid and gamma-linolenic acid) of the fatty acids so far tested. Arachidonic acid, however, did not activate the imd pathway when used as the sole agonist. These findings indicate that PLA(2) participates in LPS-dependent activation of the imd pathway via the generation of arachidonic acid and other mediators, but requires additional signalling from LPS stimulation. Moreover, PLA(2) was activated in response to bacterial infection in Sarcophaga. These results suggest a functional link between the PLA(2)-generated fatty acid cascade and the LPS-stimulated imd pathway in insect immunity.

Molecular cloning of cDNA for the 29 kDa proteinase participating in decomposition of the larval fat body during metamorphosis of Sarcophaga peregrina (flesh fly).

A cDNA clone for the 29 kDa proteinase participating in tissue disintegration during metamorphosis of Sarcophaga was isolated. This proteinase, named Sarcophaga cathepsin B, consisted of 256 amino acid residues, and contained three putative N‐glycosylation sites. By comparison with other cathepsins B, its unique substrate specificity was partly explained by Ala at position 248.