Reddy Kirthi C, Andersen Erik C, Kruglyak Leonid, Kim Dennis H
Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
Science. 2009 Jan 16;323(5912):382-4. doi: 10.1126/science.1166527.
The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans responds to pathogenic bacteria with conserved innate immune responses and pathogen avoidance behaviors. We investigated natural variation in C. elegans resistance to pathogen infection. With the use of quantitative genetic analysis, we determined that the pathogen susceptibility difference between the laboratory wild-type strain N2 and the wild isolate CB4856 is caused by a polymorphism in the npr-1 gene, which encodes a homolog of the mammalian neuropeptide Y receptor. We show that the mechanism of NPR-1-mediated pathogen resistance is through oxygen-dependent behavioral avoidance rather than direct regulation of innate immunity. For C. elegans, bacteria represent food but also a potential source of infection. Our data underscore the importance of behavioral responses to oxygen levels in finding an optimal balance between these potentially conflicting cues.
线虫秀丽隐杆线虫通过保守的先天免疫反应和病原体回避行为对致病细菌作出反应。我们研究了秀丽隐杆线虫对病原体感染抗性的自然变异。通过定量遗传分析，我们确定实验室野生型菌株N2和野生分离株CB4856之间的病原体易感性差异是由npr - 1基因的多态性引起的，该基因编码哺乳动物神经肽Y受体的同源物。我们表明，NPR - 1介导的病原体抗性机制是通过依赖氧气的行为回避，而不是直接调节先天免疫。对于秀丽隐杆线虫来说，细菌既是食物也是潜在的感染源。我们的数据强调了行为反应对氧气水平在这些潜在冲突线索之间找到最佳平衡的重要性。
