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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 Staphylococcus aureus, a major human pathogen, we assessed the phagocytic capacity of adult blood cells (hemocytes) of the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, by testing several lines of the Drosophila Genetic Reference Panel. Natural genetic variation in the gene RNA-binding Fox protein 1 (Rbfox1) 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 Down syndrome adhesion molecule 4 (Dscam4). Silencing of Dscam4 in Rbfox1-depleted blood cells rescued the fly’s cellular immune response to S. aureus, indicating that downregulation of Dscam4 by Rbfox1 is critical for S. aureus phagocytosis in Drosophila. To our knowledge, this study is the first to demonstrate a link between Rbfox1, Dscam4, and host defense against S. aureus.

In all animals, innate immunity provides an immediate and robust defense against a broad spectrum of pathogens. Humoral and cellular immune responses are the main branches of innate immunity, and many of the factors regulating these responses are evolutionarily conserved between invertebrates and mammals. Phagocytosis, the central component of cellular innate immunity, is carried out by specialized blood cells of the immune system. The fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, has emerged as a powerful genetic model to investigate the molecular mechanisms and physiological impacts of phagocytosis in whole animals. Here we demonstrate an injection-based in vivo phagocytosis assay to quantify the particle uptake and destruction by Drosophila blood cells, hemocytes. The procedure allows researchers to precisely control the particle concentration and dose, making it possible to obtain highly reproducible results in a short amount of time. The experiment is quantitative, easy to perform, and can be applied to screen for host factors that influence pathogen recognition, uptake, and clearance.

In all animals, innate immunity provides an immediate and robust defense against a broad spectrum of pathogens. Humoral and cellular immune responses are the main branches of innate immunity, and many of the factors regulating these responses are evolutionarily conserved between invertebrates and mammals. Phagocytosis, the central component of cellular innate immunity, is carried out by specialized blood cells of the immune system. The fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, has emerged as a powerful genetic model to investigate the molecular mechanisms and physiological impacts of phagocytosis in whole animals. Here we demonstrate an injection-based in vivo phagocytosis assay to quantify the particle uptake and destruction by Drosophila blood cells, hemocytes. The procedure allows researchers to precisely control the particle concentration and dose, making it possible to obtain highly reproducible results in a short amount of time. The experiment is quantitative, easy to perform, and can be applied to screen for host factors that influence pathogen recognition, uptake, and clearance.

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 Staphylococcus aureus, a major human pathogen, we assessed the phagocytic capacity of adult blood cells (hemocytes) of the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, by testing several lines of the Drosophila Genetic Reference Panel. Natural genetic variation in the gene RNA-binding Fox protein 1 (Rbfox1), also known as Rbfox1, 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 Immunoglobulin-superfamily member Down syndrome adhesion molecule 4 (Dscam4). Silencing of Dscam4 in Rbfox1-depleted blood cells rescued the fly’s cellular immune response to S. aureus indicating that downregulation of Dscam4 by Rbfox1 is critical for S. aureus phagocytosis in Drosophila. This study is the first to demonstrate a link between Rbfox1, Dscam4, and host defense against S. aureus.

The importance of microbiomes in health and disease is now well appreciated. New work from Sansone and colleagues adds to this understanding by showing that gut microbes are key for the local induction of an ERK-dependent antiviral response in flies.

The cellular immune response of insects is mediated by specialized blood cells that employ germline encoded receptors to recognize, engulf, and eliminate microbes through the process of phagocytosis. Phagocytosis is a vital component of innate immunity and research over the past 3 decades in model systems, such as the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster and mosquitoes, has led to the identification of an array of processes that invertebrates rely on to respond to invading microorganisms. Valuable insights have been gleaned from studies of insect phagocytes and, in this review, we highlight research related to the roles of receptors and intracellular signalling molecules involved in phagocytosis of bacterial and parasitic microbes.

Summary Drosophila haemocytes are essential for the animal to resist Staphylococcus aureus infections. Phagocytosis is a central component of the haemocyte-mediated immune response. It involves regulated interaction between the phagocytic and the endocytic compartments. RabGTPases are pivotal for the membrane trafficking and fusion events, and thus are often targets of intracellular pathogens that subvert phagocytosis. An in vivo screen identified Rab2 and Rab14 as candidates for proteins regulating phagosome maturation. Since Rab14 is often targeted by intracellular pathogens, an understanding of its function during phagocytosis and the overall immune response can give insight into the pathogenesis of intracel- lular microbes. We generated a Drosophila Rab14 mutant and characterized the resulting immune defects in animals and specifically in haemocytes in response to an S. aureus infection. Haemocyte based immunofluorescence studies indicate that Rab14 is recruited to the phagosome and like Rab7, a well-characterized regulator of the phago- cytic pathway, is essential for progression of phagosome maturation. Rab14 mutant haemo- cytes show impaired recruitment of Rab7 and of a lysosomal marker onto S. aureus phagosomes. The defect in phagocytosis is associated with higher bacterial load and increased susceptibility to S. aureus in the animal.

Summary Glutamate transport is highly regulated as glutamate directly acts as a neurotransmitter [1–3] and indirectly regulates the synthesis of antioxidants [4, 5]. Although glutamate deregulation has been repeatedly linked to serious human diseases such as HIV infection and Alzheimer's [6–8], glutamate's role in the immune system is still poorly understood. We find that a putative glutamate transporter in Drosophila melanogaster , polyphemus ( polyph ), plays an integral part in the fly's immune response. Flies with a disrupted polyph gene exhibit decreased phagocytosis of microbial-derived bioparticles. When infected with S. aureus , polyph flies show an increase in both susceptibility and bacterial growth. Additionally, the expression of two known glutamate transporters, genderblind and excitatory amino acid transporter 1 , in blood cells affects the flies' ability to phagocytose and survive after an infection. Consistent with previous data showing a regulatory role for glutamate transport in the synthesis of the major antioxidant glutathione, polyph flies produce more reactive oxygen species (ROS) as compared to wild-type flies when exposed to S. aureus . In conclusion, we demonstrate that a polyph- dependent redox system in blood cells is necessary to maintain the cells' immune-related functions. Furthermore, our model provides insight into how deregulation of glutamate transport may play a role in disease.

Destruxins are a class of insecticidal, anti-viral, and phytotoxic cyclic depsipeptides that are also studied for their toxicity to cancer cells. They are produced by various fungi, and a direct relationship has been established between Destruxin production and the virulence of the entomopathogen Metarhizium anisopliae. Aside from opening calcium channels, their in vivo mode of action during pathogenesis remains largely uncharacterized. To better understand the effects of a Destruxin, we looked at changes in gene expression following injection of Destruxin A into the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. Microarray results revealed reduced expression of various antimicrobial peptides that play a major role in the humoral immune response of the fly. Flies co-injected with a non-lethal dose of Destruxin A and the normally innocuous Gram-negative bacteria Escherichia coli, showed increased mortality and an accompanying increase in bacterial titers. Mortality due to sepsis was rescued through ectopic activation of components in the IMD pathway, one of two signal transduction pathways that are responsible for antimicrobial peptide induction. These results demonstrate a novel role for Destruxin A in specific suppression of the humoral immune response in insects.

Drosophila melanogaster has a robust and efficient innate immune system, which reacts to infections ranging from bacteria to fungi and, as discovered recently, viruses as well. The known Drosophila immune responses rely on humoral and cellular activities, similar to those found in the innate immune system of other animals. Recently, RNAi or 'RNA silencing' has arisen as a possible means by which Drosophila can react to a specific pathogens, transposons and retroviral elements, in a fashion similar to that of a traditional mammalian adaptive immune system instead of in a more generalized and genome encoded innate immune-based response. RNAi is a highly conserved regulation and defence mechanism, which suppresses gene expression via targeted RNA degradation directed by either exogenous dsRNA (cleaved into siRNAs) or endogenous miRNAs. In plants, RNAi has been found to act as an antiviral immune response system. Here we show that RNAi is an antiviral response used by Drosophila to combat infection by Drosophila X Virus, a birnavirus, as well. Additionally, we identify multiple core RNAi pathway genes, including piwi, vasa intronic gene (vig), aubergine (aub), armitage (armi), Rm62, r2d2 and Argonaute2 (AGO2) as having vital roles in this response in whole organisms. Our findings establish Drosophila as an ideal model for the study of antiviral RNAi responses in animals.

From a forward genetic screen for phagocytosis mutants in Drosophila melanogaster , we identified a mutation that affects peptidoglycan recognition protein (PGRP) SC1a and impairs the ability to phagocytose the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus , but not Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis . Because of the differences in peptidoglycan peptide linkages in these bacteria, our data suggest that PGRP-SC1a is necessary for recognition of the Lys-type peptidoglycan typical of most Gram + bacteria. PGRP-SC1a mutants also fail to activate the Toll/NF-κB signaling pathway and are compromised for survival after S. aureus infection. This mutant phenotype is the first found for an N -acetylmuramoyl- l -alanine amidase PGRP that cleaves peptidoglycan at the lactylamide bond between the glycan backbone and the crosslinking stem peptides. By generating transgenic rescue flies that express either wild-type or a noncatalytic cysteine–serine mutant PGRP-SC1a, we find that PGRP-SC1a amidase activity is not necessary for Toll signaling, but is essential for uptake of S. aureus into the host phagocytes and for survival after S. aureus infection. Furthermore, we find that the PGRP-SC1a amidase activity can be substituted by exogenous addition of free peptidoglycan, suggesting that the presence of peptidoglycan cleavage products is more important than the generation of cleaved peptidoglycan on the bacterial surface for PGRP-SC1a mediated phagocytosis.

We have screened the third chromosome of Drosophila melanogaster for mutations that prevent the normal immune response. We identified mutant lines on the basis of their failure to induce transcription of an antibacterial peptide gene in response to infection or their failure to form melanized clots at the site of wounding. These mutations define 14 genes [immune response deficient (ird) genes] that have distinct roles in the immune response. We have identified the molecular basis of several ird phenotypes. Two genes, scribble and kurtz/modulo, affect the cellular organization of the fat body, the tissue responsible for antimicrobial peptide production. Two ird genes encode components of the signaling pathways that mediate responses to bacterial infection, a Drosophila gene encoding a homolog of IκB kinase (DmIkkβ) and Relish, a Rel-family transcription factor. These genetic studies should provide a basis for a comprehensive understanding of the genetic control of immune responses in Drosophila.

In both mammals and Drosophila, microbial infection activates Toll-like receptor (TLR) signaling pathways as a part of the innate host defense response (for review, see Anderson 2000). TLR-mediated signaling pathways are essential for appropriate responses to bacterial infection. In addition, mouse Tlr4 mediates septic shock associated with infection by gram-negative bacteria (Vogel 1992; Poltorak et al. 1998). The available data indicate that different microbial cell wall components activate different Toll-like receptor signaling pathways, which regulate distinct sets of target genes. In mammals, TLR4 is the prime mediator of responses to bacterial lipopolysaccharide, while TLR2 mediates responses to bacterial peptidoglycans (Poltorak et al. 1998; Takeuchi et al. 1999; for review, see Beutler 2000). The best-studied aspect of the Drosophila innate immune response is the rapid transcriptional induction of antimicrobial peptide genes in response to infection (Hultmark 1993; Hoffmann 1995). Infection by different classes of microorganisms leads to the preferential induction of particular subsets of antimicrobial peptides (Lemaitre et al. 1997), indicating that different microbial components activate different signaling pathways. At least two Toll-related signaling pathways are required for the activation of the Drosophila antimicrobial peptide genes. The Toll pathway itself, which was first identified because of its essential role in Drosophila embryonic patterning (Anderson et al. 1985), is essential for the induction of an antifungal peptide gene, drosomycin, although the antibacterial peptide genes are still induced in Toll pathway mutants (Lemaitre et al. 1996). Another Drosophila member of the Toll family, 18-wheeler, is required for the normal induction of attacin, an antibacterial peptide gene, but mutations in 18-wheeler do not prevent the induction of other antibacterial peptides (Williams et al. 1997). The imd gene is important for the induction of Diptericin and other antibacterial peptides (Lemaitre et al. 1995a; Corbo and Levine 1996) and, therefore, appears to be a component of a third signaling pathway activated by infection, but its biochemical function is not known. Each of the three Drosophila signaling pathways activated by infection leads to activation of NF-κB/Rel dimers, just as the mammalian TLRs activate NF-κB. All three Drosophila Rel proteins, Dorsal, Dif, and Relish, are expressed in the fat body cells that produce the antimicrobial peptides, and all three are activated within 30 min after infection by translocation from the cytoplasm to the nuclei (Ip at al. 1993; Lemaitre et al. 1995b; Stoven et al. 2000). Adults that lack Dif fail to induce Drosomycin, an antifungal peptide, and Defensin, which is active against gram-positive bacteria, but the other antimicrobial peptide genes are induced normally (Manfruelli et al. 1999; Meng et al. 1999; Rutschmann et al. 2000). Animals that lack Dorsal show normal induction of the antimicrobial peptide genes in response to infection (Lemaitre et al. 1995b), although Dorsal may act redundantly with Dif in larvae (Manfruelli et al. 1999; Rutschmann et al. 2000). Relish is a compound protein with an N-terminal Rel domain and a C-terminal IκB-like domain, similar to mammalian p100 and p105 (Dushay et al. 1996). Relish is activated by signal-dependent proteolysis, which liberates the N-terminal Rel domain, allowing it to translocate into nuclei (Stoven et al. 2000). Adults that lack Relish completely fail to induce the antibacterial peptides Diptericin and Cecropin and show reduced induction of the other antimicrobial peptides (Hedengren et al. 1999). The signaling pathway that activates Relish and controls induction of the antibacterial peptide genes has not been defined. We carried out a genetic screen to identify EMS-induced mutations on the Drosophila third chromosome that affect the antibacterial signaling pathway (Wu and Anderson 1998). A large number of mutants were identified and named ird (immune response deficient) mutants. This screen identified two alleles of the ird5 gene on the basis of the failure of homozygous mutant larvae to induce a diptericin-lacZ reporter gene in response to infection. Here we show that the ird5 gene is essential for antibacterial responses and encodes a Drosophila homolog of mammalian IκB kinases.

The Drosophila immune response uses many of the same components as the mammalian innate immune response, including signalling pathways that activate transcription factors of the Rel/NK-kappaB family. In response to infection, two Rel proteins, Dif and Dorsal, translocate from the cytoplasm to the nuclei of larval fat-body cells. The Toll signalling pathway, which controls dorsal-ventral patterning during Drosophila embryogenesis, regulates the nuclear import of Dorsal in the immune response, but here we show that the Toll pathway is not required for nuclear import of Dif. Cytoplasmic retention of both Dorsal and Dif depends on Cactus protein; nuclear import of Dorsal and Dif is accompanied by degradation of Cactus. Therefore the two signalling pathways that target Cactus for degradation must discriminate between Cactus-Dorsal and Cactus-Dif complexes. We identified new genes that are required for normal induction of transcription of an antibacterial peptide during the immune response. Mutations in three of these genes prevent nuclear import of Dif in response to infection, and define new components of signalling pathways involving Rel. Mutations in three other genes cause constitutive nuclear localization of Dif; these mutations may block Rel protein activity by a novel mechanism.

Atg6 (beclin 1 in mammals) is a core component of the Vps34 complex that is required for autophagy. Beclin 1 (Becn1) functions as a tumor suppressor, and Becn1+/- tumors in mice possess elevated cell stress and p62 levels, altered NF-κB signaling and genome instability. The tumor suppressor function of Becn1 has been attributed to its role in autophagy, and the potential functions of Atg6/Becn1 in other vesicle trafficking pathways for tumor development have not been considered. Here, we generate Atg6 mutant Drosophila and demonstrate that Atg6 is essential for autophagy, endocytosis and protein secretion. By contrast, the core autophagy gene Atg1 is required for autophagy and protein secretion, but it is not required for endocytosis. Unlike null mutants of other core autophagy genes, all Atg6 mutant animals possess blood cell masses. Atg6 mutants have enlarged lymph glands (the hematopoietic organ in Drosophila), possess elevated blood cell numbers, and the formation of melanotic blood cell masses in these mutants is not suppressed by mutations in either p62 or NFκB genes. Thus, like mammals, altered Atg6 function in flies causes hematopoietic abnormalities and lethality, and our data indicate that this is due to defects in multiple membrane trafficking processes.

We have constructed two C-terminal deletion mutants of the FokI restriction endonuclease by using the polymerase-chain-reaction technique and expressed them in Escherichia coli. The two mutant proteins (MP) of 41 and 30 kDa, were purified to homogeneity and their DNA-binding properties were characterized. The 41-kDa MP specifically binds the DNA sequence, 5'-GGATG/3'-CCTAC, like the wild-type (wt) FokI, but does not cleave DNA. The 30-kDa MP does not bind DNA. The affinity of the 41-kDa MP for the DNA substrate is comparable to that of wt FokI. The 41-kDa MP interacts with its substrate like the wt FokI, as revealed by hydroxyl radical footprinting experiments. In the presence of a DNA substrate, the 41-kDa MP is cleaved by trypsin into a 30-kDa N-terminal fragment and an 11-kDa C-terminal fragment. Addition of the HPLC-purified 11-kDa C-terminal fragment to the 30-kDa MP restores its sequence-specific DNA-binding property. These results confirm that the N-terminal 41-kDa fragment of the FokI ENase constitutes the DNA recognition domain of the ENase.

Drosophila have a variety of innate immune strategies for defending itself from infection, including humoral and cell mediated responses to invading microorganisms. At the front lines of these responses, are a diverse group of pattern recognition receptors that recognize pathogen associated molecular patterns. These patterns include bacterial lipopolysaccharides, peptidoglycans, and fungal beta-1,3 glucans. Some of the receptors catalytically modify the pathogenic determinant, but all are responsible for directly facilitating a signaling event that results in an immune response. Some of these events require multiple pattern recognition receptors acting sequentially to activate a pathway. In some cases, a signaling pathway may be activated by a variety of different pathogens, through parallel receptors detecting different pathogenic determinants. In this chapter, we review what is known about pattern recognition receptors in Drosophila, and how those lessons may be applied towards a broader understanding of immunity.

Drosophila have a variety of innate immune strategies for defending itself from infection, including humoral and cell mediated responses to invading microorganisms. At the front lines of these responses, are a diverse group of pattern recognition receptors that recognize pathogen associated molecular patterns. These patterns include bacterial lipopolysaccharides, peptidoglycans, and fungal beta-1,3 glucans. Some of the receptors catalytically modify the pathogenic determinant, but all are responsible for directly facilitating a signaling event that results in an immune response. Some of these events require multiple pattern recognition receptors acting sequentially to activate a pathway. In some cases, a signaling pathway may be activated by a variety of different pathogens, through parallel receptors detecting different pathogenic determinants. In this chapter, we review what is known about pattern recognition receptors in Drosophila, and how those lessons may be applied towards a broader understanding of immunity.

In a screen for cell-cycle regulators, we identified a Drosophila maternal effect-lethal mutant that we named `no poles' (nopo). Embryos from nopo females undergo mitotic arrest with barrel-shaped, acentrosomal spindles during the rapid S-M cycles of syncytial embryogenesis. We identified CG5140, which encodes a candidate RING domain-containing E3 ubiquitin ligase, as the nopo gene. A conserved residue in the RING domain is altered in our EMS-mutagenized allele of nopo, suggesting that E3 ligase activity is crucial for NOPO function. We show that mutation of a DNA checkpoint kinase, CHK2, suppresses the spindle and developmental defects of nopo-derived embryos, revealing that activation of a DNA checkpoint operational in early embryos contributes significantly to the nopo phenotype. CHK2-mediated mitotic arrest has been previously shown to occur in response to mitotic entry with DNA damage or incompletely replicated DNA. Syncytial embryos lacking NOPO exhibit a shorter interphase during cycle 11, suggesting that they may enter mitosis prior to the completion of DNA replication. We show that Bendless (BEN), an E2 ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme, interacts with NOPO in a yeast two-hybrid assay; furthermore, ben-derived embryos arrest with a nopo-like phenotype during syncytial divisions. These data support our model that an E2-E3 ubiquitination complex consisting of BEN-UEV1A (E2 heterodimer) and NOPO (E3 ligase) is required for the preservation of genomic integrity during early embryogenesis.

Drosophila have a variety of innate immune strategies for defending itself from infection, including humoral and cell mediated responses to invading microorganisms. At the front lines of these responses, are a diverse group of pattern recognition receptors that recognize pathogen associated molecular patterns. These patterns include bacterial lipopolysaccharides, peptidoglycans, and fungal β-1,3 glucans. Some of the receptors catalytically modify the pathogenic determinant, but all are responsible for direcdy facilitating a signaling event that results in an immune response. Some of these events require multiple pattern recognition receptors acting sequentially to activate a pathway. In some cases, a signaling pathway may be activated by a variety of different pathogens, through parallel receptors detecting different pathogenic determinants. In this chapter, we review what is known about pattern recognition receptors in Drosophila, and how those lessons may be applied towards a broader understanding of immunity.

The NF-κB group of transcription factors play an important role in mediating immune responses in organisms as diverse as insects and mammals. The fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster express three closely related NF-κB-like transcription factors: Dorsal, Dif, and Relish. To study their roles in vivo, we used microarrays to determine the effect of null mutations in individual Rel transcription factors on larval immune gene expression. Of the 188 genes that were significantly up-regulated in wild-type larvae upon bacterial challenge, overlapping but distinct groups of genes were affected in the Rel mutants. We also ectopically expressed Dorsal or Dif and used cDNA microarrays to determine the genes that were up-regulated in the presence of these transcription factors. This expression was sufficient to drive expression of some immune genes, suggesting redundancy in the regulation of these genes. Combining this data, we also identified novel genes that may be specific targets of Dif.

The immune response-deficient 1 (ird1) gene was identified in a forward genetic screen as a novel regulator for the activation of Imd NFkappaB immune signalling pathway in Drosophila. ird1 animals are also more susceptible to Escherichia coli and Micrococcus luteus bacterial infection. ird1 encodes the Drosophila homologue of the Vps15/p150 serine/threonine kinase that regulates a class III phosphoinositide 3-kinase and is necessary for phagosome maturation and starvation-induced autophagy in yeast and mammalian cells. To gain insight into the role of ird1 in the immune response, we examine how amino acid starvation affects the immune signalling pathways in Drosophila. Starvation, in the absence of infection, leads to expression of antimicrobial peptide (AMP) genes and this response is dependent on ird1 and the Imd immune signalling pathway. Starvation, in addition to bacterial infection, suppresses the AMP response in wild-type animals and reduces the ability to survive M. luteus infection. Our results suggest that starvation and innate immune signalling may be intimately linked processes.

The innate immune response of Drosophila melanogaster is governed by a complex set of signaling pathways that trigger antimicrobial peptide (AMP) production, phagocytosis, melanization, and encapsulation. Although immune responses against both bacteria and fungi have been demonstrated in Drosophila , identification of an antiviral response has yet to be found. To investigate what responses Drosophila mounts against a viral infection, we have developed an in vivo Drosophila X virus (DXV)-based screening system that identifies altered sensitivity to viral infection by using DXV's anoxia-induced death pathology. Using this system to screen flies with mutations in genes with known or suggested immune activity, we identified the Toll pathway as a vital part of the Drosophila antiviral response. Inactivation of this pathway instigated a rapid onset of anoxia induced death in infected flies and increases in viral titers compared to those in WT flies. Although constitutive activation of the pathway resulted in similar rapid onset of anoxia sensitivity, it also resulted in decreased viral titer. Additionally, AMP genes were induced in response to viral infection similar to levels observed during Escherichia coli infection. However, enhanced expression of single AMPs did not alter resistance to viral infection or viral titer levels, suggesting that the main antiviral response is cellular rather than humoral. Our results show that the Toll pathway is required for efficient inhibition of DXV replication in Drosophila . Additionally, our results demonstrate the validity of using a genetic approach to identify genes and pathways used in viral innate immune responses in Drosophila.

Maintaining balance with intestinal flora is an important activity of the immune system in higher metazoans. In this issue of Developmental Cell, Ha et al. demonstrate a central role of a redox balance in microbial interactions in the fruit fly gut.

Atg6 (beclin 1 in mammals) is a core component of the Vps34 complex that is required for autophagy. Beclin 1 (Becn1) functions as a tumor suppressor, and Becn1+/- tumors in mice possess elevated cell stress and p62 levels, altered NF-κB signaling and genome instability. The tumor suppressor function of Becn1 has been attributed to its role in autophagy, and the potential functions of Atg6/Becn1 in other vesicle trafficking pathways for tumor development have not been considered. Here, we generate Atg6 mutant Drosophila and demonstrate that Atg6 is essential for autophagy, endocytosis and protein secretion. By contrast, the core autophagy gene Atg1 is required for autophagy and protein secretion, but it is not required for endocytosis. Unlike null mutants of other core autophagy genes, all Atg6 mutant animals possess blood cell masses. Atg6 mutants have enlarged lymph glands (the hematopoietic organ in Drosophila), possess elevated blood cell numbers, and the formation of melanotic blood cell masses in these mutants is not suppressed by mutations in either p62 or NFκB genes. Thus, like mammals, altered Atg6 function in flies causes hematopoietic abnormalities and lethality, and our data indicate that this is due to defects in multiple membrane trafficking processes.

The PCR was used to alter transcriptional and translational signals surrounding the Flavobacterium okeanokoites restriction endonuclease (fokIR) gene, so as to achieve high expression in Escherichia coli. By changing the ribosome-binding site sequence preceding the fokIR gene to match the consensus E. coli signal and by placing a positive retroregulator stem-loop sequence downstream of the gene, Fok I yield was increased to 5-8% of total cellular protein. Fok I was purified to homogeneity with phosphocellulose, DEAE-Sephadex, and gel chromatography, yielding 50 mg of pure Fok I endonuclease per liter of culture medium. The recognition and cleavage domains of Fok I were analyzed by trypsin digestion. Fok I in the absence of a DNA substrate cleaves into a 58-kDa carboxyl-terminal and 8-kDa amino-terminal fragment. The 58-kDa fragment does not bind the DNA substrate. Fok I in the presence of a DNA substrate cleaves into a 41-kDa amino-terminal fragment and a 25-kDa carboxyl-terminal fragment. On further digestion, the 41-kDa fragment degrades into 30-kDa amino-terminal and 11-kDa carboxyl-terminal fragments. The cleaved fragments both bind DNA substrates, as does the 41-kDa fragment. Gel-mobility-shift assays indicate that all the protein contacts necessary for the sequence-specific recognition of DNA substrates are encoded within the 41-kDa fragment. Thus, the 41-kDa amino-terminal fragment constitutes the Fok I recognition domain. The 25-kDa fragment, purified by using a DEAE-Sephadex column, cleaves nonspecifically both methylated (pACYCfokIM) and nonmethylated (pTZ19R) DNA substrates in the presence of MgCl2. Thus, the 25-kDa carboxyl-terminal fragment constitutes the Fok I cleavage domain.

The Hha II methyltransferase gene from Haemophilus haemolyticus was subcloned in an expression vector under control of the hybrid trp-lac promoter. Induction with isopropyl-β- d -thiogalactopyranoside results in overproduction of the methyltransferase to about 3% of total cellular protein. The methyltransferase was purified to near electrophoretic homogeneity by phosphocellulose, DEAE, and gel chromatography. Its monomer M r by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis is 25 kDa, in good agreement with that predicted from the nucleotide sequence. Crystals of the methyltransferase were obtained in the presence of a two-fold molar excess of the duplex oligodeoxynucleotide substrate 5′d- GGACTCC CCTGAGG .