Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Ceske Budejovice, Czechia.
Front Immunol. 2023 Dec 6;14:1330312. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1330312. eCollection 2023.
Cellular encapsulation associated with melanization is a crucial component of the immune response in insects, particularly against larger pathogens. The infection of a larva by parasitoid wasps, like , is the most extensively studied example. In this case, the encapsulation and melanization of the parasitoid embryo is linked to the activation of plasmatocytes that attach to the surface of the parasitoid. Additionally, the differentiation of lamellocytes that encapsulate the parasitoid, along with crystal cells, is accountable for the melanization process. Encapsulation and melanization lead to the production of toxic molecules that are concentrated in the capsule around the parasitoid and, at the same time, protect the host from this toxic immune response. Thus, cellular encapsulation and melanization represent primarily a metabolic process involving the metabolism of immune cell activation and differentiation, the production of toxic radicals, but also the production of melanin and antioxidants. As such, it has significant implications for host physiology and systemic metabolism. Proper regulation of metabolism within immune cells, as well as at the level of the entire organism, is therefore essential for an efficient immune response and also impacts the health and overall fitness of the organism that survives. The purpose of this "perspective" article is to map what we know about the metabolism of this type of immune response, place it in the context of possible implications for host physiology, and highlight open questions related to the metabolism of this important insect immune response.
细胞包裹伴随着黑化是昆虫免疫反应的一个关键组成部分，特别是针对较大的病原体。寄生蜂对幼虫的感染，如，是研究得最广泛的例子。在这种情况下，寄生蜂胚胎的包裹和黑化与附着在寄生蜂表面的浆血细胞的激活有关。此外，包裹寄生蜂的类绛色细胞和晶体细胞的分化负责黑化过程。包裹和黑化导致产生毒性分子，这些分子集中在寄生蜂周围的胶囊中，同时保护宿主免受这种毒性免疫反应的侵害。因此，细胞包裹和黑化主要代表了一个代谢过程，涉及免疫细胞激活和分化的代谢、毒性自由基的产生，以及黑色素和抗氧化剂的产生。因此，它对宿主生理学和全身代谢有重要影响。因此，免疫细胞内以及整个生物体水平的代谢的适当调节对于有效的免疫反应是必不可少的，也会影响到幸存的生物体的健康和整体适应性。这篇“观点”文章的目的是绘制我们对这种免疫反应代谢的了解，将其置于对宿主生理学可能产生的影响的背景下，并强调与这种重要的昆虫免疫反应代谢相关的开放性问题。
