Korayem Ahmed M, Fabbri Marco, Takahashi Kuniaki, Scherfer Christoph, Lindgren Malin, Schmidt Otto, Ueda Ryu, Dushay Mitchell S, Theopold Ulrich
Department of Molecular Biology and Functional Genomics, Stockholm University, S-10691 Stockholm, Sweden.
Insect Biochem Mol Biol. 2004 Dec;34(12):1297-304. doi: 10.1016/j.ibmb.2004.09.001.
Our studies on the developmental regulation of glycosylation in Drosophila melanogaster led us to identify and characterize gp150, an ecdysone-regulated mucin that is found in hemocytes, the gut (peritrophic membrane) and in the salivary glands. We are particularly interested in mucin immune functions and found that gp150 is released from larval hemocytes, becomes part of the clot and participates in the entrapment of bacteria. By RT-PCR and RNAi experiments, we identified gp150 as the previously described I71-7, an ecdysone-induced salivary glue protein. We discuss the evolutionary and biochemical implications of the dual use of salivary proteins for immune functions in insects. Further molecular characterization of such shared proteins may enable a better understanding of the properties of proteins involved in containment and elimination of microbes, as well as hemostasis and wound repair.
