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Function of the drosophila pattern-recognition receptor PGRP-SD in the detection of Gram-positive bacteria

Nature Immunology volume 5, pages 1175–1180 (2004)Cite this article

Abstract

The activation of an immune response requires recognition of microorganisms by host receptors. In drosophila, detection of Gram-positive bacteria is mediated by cooperation between the peptidoglycan-recognition protein-SA (PGRP-SA) and Gram-negative binding protein 1 (GNBP1) proteins. Here we show that some Gram-positive bacterial species activate an immune response in a PGRP-SA- and GNBP1-independent manner, indicating that alternative receptors exist. Consistent with this, we noted that PGRP-SD mutants were susceptible to some Gram-positive bacteria and that a loss-of-function mutation in PGRP-SD severely exacerbated the PGRP-SA and GNBP1 mutant phenotypes. These data indicate that PGRP-SD can function as a receptor for Gram-positive bacteria and shows partial redundancy with the PGRP-SA–GNBP1 complex.

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Figure 1: Toll pathway activation in the absence of a functional PGRP-SA–GNBP1 receptor complex.
Figure 2: Effects of PGRP-SD mutation on Toll pathway activation by Gram-positive bacteria.
Figure 3: Effects of PGRP-SD and PGRP-SA mutations on Toll pathway activation by S. aureus peptidoglycan.
Figure 4: PGRP-SD mutant susceptibility to infection by Gram-positive bacteria.
Figure 5: PGRP-SD is not needed for detection of fungi or Gram-negative bacteria.

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Acknowledgements

We thank S. Ozkan and M.C. Lacombe for technical help; F. Dromer for the C. neoformans strain; and M. Meister for comments on the manuscript. Supported by Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, the Ministère de l'Education Nationale de la Recherche et de la Technologie, the Fondation pour la Recherche Médicale and the National Institutes of Health.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institut de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, CNRS UPR 9022, 15 rue René Descartes, Université Louis Pasteur, Strasbourg, 67084, Cedex, France

    Vincent Bischoff, Cécile Vignal, Tatiana Michel, Jules A Hoffmann & Julien Royet

  2. Unité de Pathogénie Bactérienne des Muqueuses, Institut Pasteur, 25 rue du Dr. Roux, Paris, 75724, Cedex 15, France

    Ivo G Boneca

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  1. Vincent Bischoff
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Correspondence to Julien Royet.

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Supplementary information

Supplementary Fig. 1

Molecular characterisation of PGRP-SD protein null mutants. (PDF 25 kb)

Supplementary Fig. 2

PGRP-SD mRNA level in PGRP-SA;PGRP-SD double mutant flies over-expressing the PGRP-SD cDNA. (PDF 21 kb)

Supplementary Fig. 3

Effects of PGRP-SA, GNBP-1 and PGRP-SD overexpression on Toll pathway activation. (PDF 24 kb)

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Bischoff, V., Vignal, C., Boneca, I. et al. Function of the drosophila pattern-recognition receptor PGRP-SD in the detection of Gram-positive bacteria. Nat Immunol 5, 1175–1180 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1038/ni1123

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