Buriscon regulated immune response in Drosophila melanogaster

Abstract

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT REQUEST OF AUTHOR.] Bursicon is a heterodimeric neurohormone which binds to the receptor LGR2 and regulates various aspects in cuticle sclerotization and wing expansion in diverse insect orders. However, it is still unknown why some neurosecretory cells store only one bursicon subunit, similarly, it is not fully understood the function of burs [alpha] or burs [beta] in the course of insect development. We found that each of bursicon subunit is sufficient to induce immune responses in Drosophila larvae. The expression of several antimicrobial peptide (AMP) genes is mediated by the bursicon induced proteolytic activation of NF-[superscript k]B transcription factor Relish. These results implicate the D. melanogaster neurohormone bursicon with the novel function of modulating innate immune response. They also partially explain the presence and function of a single bursicon subunit during immature stages of Drosophila. More generally, our data suggest that bursicon plays a similar role in the post-edysial periods of other insect species.