The two origins of hemocytes in Drosophila

Reduction of T antigen causes loss of hematopoietic progenitors in Drosophila through the inhibition of filopodial extensions from the hematopoietic niche

Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) are present in hematopoietic organs and differentiate into mature blood cells as required. Defective HSCs have been implicated in the human autoimmune disease Tn syndrome, which results from the failure of the core 1 β1,3-galactosyltransferase 1 enzyme (C1β3GalT1) to synthesize T antigen. In both mice and humans, a reduced level of T antigen is associated with a reduction in blood cell numbers. However, the precise roles of T antigen in hematopoiesis are unknown. Here, we show that the Drosophila T antigen, supplied by plasmatocytes, is essential for the regulation of HSCs. T antigen appears to be an essential factor in maintaining the extracellular environment to support filopodial extensions from niches that are responsible for transmitting signaling molecules to maintain the HSCs. In addition, our results revealed that the clotting factor, hemolectin, disrupted the hemolymph environment of C1β3GalT1 mutants. This study identified a novel mucin function for the regulation of HSCs that may be conserved in other species.

New ways to make a blood cell

In a niche under the skin in Drosophila larvae, blood cells called plasmatocytes can transform into other classes of blood cell.

Drosophila sessile hemocyte clusters are true hematopoietic tissues that regulate larval blood cell differentiation

Virtually all species of coelomate animals contain blood cells that display a division of labor necessary for homeostasis. This functional partition depends upon the balance between proliferation and differentiation mostly accomplished in the hematopoietic organs. In Drosophila melanogaster, the lymph gland produces plasmatocytes and crystal cells that are not released until pupariation. Yet, throughout larval development, both hemocyte types increase in numbers. Mature plasmatocytes can proliferate but it is not known if crystal cell numbers increase by self-renewal or by de novo differentiation. We show that new crystal cells in third instar larvae originate through a Notch-dependent process of plasmatocyte transdifferentiation. This process occurs in the sessile clusters and is contingent upon the integrity of these structures. The existence of this hematopoietic tissue, relying on structure-dependent signaling events to promote blood homeostasis, creates a new paradigm for addressing outstanding questions in Drosophila hematopoiesis and establishing further parallels with vertebrate systems.

Heixuedian (heix), a potential melanotic tumor suppressor gene, exhibits specific spatial and temporal expression pattern during Drosophila hematopoiesis

The Drosophila heixuedian (heix) is the ortholog of human UBIAD1 gene (a.k.a TERE1). The protein product of UBIAD1/heix has multiple enzymatic activities, including the vitamin K2 and the non-mitochondrial CoQ10 biosynthesis. However, the expression pattern of UBIAD1/Heix during metazoan development has not been systematically studied. In this paper, we found that loss of function of heix resulted in pathological changes of larval hematopoietic system, including lymph gland hypertrophy, hemocyte overproliferation and aberrant differentiation, and melanin mass formation. Overexpression of heix cDNA under the tubulin Gal4 driver rescued the above hematopoietic defects. Interestingly, Heix was specifically expressed in plasmatocyte/macrophage lineage in srp driven EGFP positive cells on the head mesoderm during embryogenesis, while it was highly expressed in crystal cells in the primary lobes of the third instar larval lymph gland. Using qRT-PCR analysis, loss of function of heix caused aberrant activation of multiple hemocyte proliferation-related as well as immune-related pathways, including JAK/STAT pathway, Ras/MAPK pathway, IMD pathway and Toll pathway. These data suggested that heix is a potential melanotic tumor suppressor gene and plays a pivotal role in both hemocytes proliferation and differentiation in Drosophila.

Antioxidants maintain E-cadherin levels to limit Drosophila prohemocyte differentiation

Mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) regulate a variety of biological processes by networking with signal transduction pathways to maintain homeostasis and support adaptation to stress. In this capacity, ROS have been shown to promote the differentiation of progenitor cells, including mammalian embryonic and hematopoietic stem cells and Drosophila hematopoietic progenitors (prohemocytes). However, many questions remain about how ROS alter the regulatory machinery to promote progenitor differentiation. Here, we provide evidence for the hypothesis that ROS reduce E-cadherin levels to promote Drosophila prohemocyte differentiation. Specifically, we show that knockdown of the antioxidants, Superoxide dismutatase 2 and Catalase reduce E-cadherin protein levels prior to the loss of Odd-skipped-expressing prohemocytes. Additionally, over-expression of E-cadherin limits prohemocyte differentiation resulting from paraquat-induced oxidative stress. Furthermore, two established targets of ROS, Enhancer of Polycomb and FOS, control the level of E-cadherin protein expression. Finally, we show that knockdown of either Superoxide dismutatase 2 or Catalase leads to an increase in the E-cadherin repressor, Serpent. As a result, antioxidants and targets of ROS can control E-cadherin protein levels, and over-expression of E-cadherin can ameliorate the prohemocyte response to oxidative stress. Collectively, these data strongly suggest that ROS promote differentiation by reducing E-cadherin levels. In mammalian systems, ROS promote embryonic stem cell differentiation, whereas E-cadherin blocks differentiation. However, it is not known if elevated ROS reduce E-cadherin to promote embryonic stem cell differentiation. Thus, our findings may have identified an important mechanism by which ROS promote stem/progenitor cell differentiation.

Mosquito hemocyte-mediated immune responses

Hemocytes are a key component of the mosquito immune system that kill pathogens via phagocytic, lytic and melanization pathways. Individual mosquitoes contain between 500 and 4,000 hemocytes, which are divided into three populations named granulocytes, oenocytoids and prohemocytes. Hemocytes can also be divided by their anatomical location with 75% of hemocytes circulating in the hemocoel (circulating hemocytes) and 25% of hemocytes attaching themselves to tissues (sessile hemocytes). Greater than 85% of the hemocytes in adult mosquitoes are granulocytes, which primarily kill pathogens by phagocytosis or lysis. Oenocytoids, on the other hand, are the major producers of the enzymes required for melanization while prohemocytes are small cells that participate in phagocytosis. Both circulating and sessile hemocytes engage in defense against pathogens. The circulatory system of mosquitoes also interacts with hemocytes and facilitates elimination of potential pathogens that enter the hemocoel.

Wnt-mediated repression via bipartite DNA recognition by TCF in the Drosophila hematopoietic system

The Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway plays many important roles in animal development, tissue homeostasis and human disease. Transcription factors of the TCF family mediate many Wnt transcriptional responses, promoting signal-dependent activation or repression of target gene expression. The mechanism of this specificity is poorly understood. Previously, we demonstrated that for activated targets in Drosophila, TCF/Pangolin (the fly TCF) recognizes regulatory DNA through two DNA binding domains, with the High Mobility Group (HMG) domain binding HMG sites and the adjacent C-clamp domain binding Helper sites. Here, we report that TCF/Pangolin utilizes a similar bipartite mechanism to recognize and regulate several Wnt-repressed targets, but through HMG and Helper sites whose sequences are distinct from those found in activated targets. The type of HMG and Helper sites is sufficient to direct activation or repression of Wnt regulated cis-regulatory modules, and protease digestion studies suggest that TCF/Pangolin adopts distinct conformations when bound to either HMG-Helper site pair. This repressive mechanism occurs in the fly lymph gland, the larval hematopoietic organ, where Wnt/β-catenin signaling controls prohemocytic differentiation. Our study provides a paradigm for direct repression of target gene expression by Wnt/β-catenin signaling and allosteric regulation of a transcription factor by DNA.

During development and in adult tissues, cells communicate with each other through biochemical cascades known as signaling pathways. In this report, we study the Wnt signaling pathway, using the fruit fly Drosophila as a model system. This pathway is known to activate gene expression in cells receiving the Wnt signal, working through a transcription factor known as TCF. But sometimes Wnt signaling also instructs TCF to repress target gene expression. What determines whether TCF will positively or negatively regulate Wnt targets? We demonstrate that activated and repressed targets have distinct DNA sequences that dock TCF on their regulatory DNA. The type of site determines the output, i.e., activation or repression. We find that TCF adopts different conformations when bound to either DNA sequence, which most likely influences its regulatory activity. In addition, we demonstrate that Wnt-dependent repression occurs robustly in the fly larval lymph gland, the tissue responsible for generating macrophage-like cells known as hemocytes.

Drosophila as a model for the two myeloid blood cell systems in vertebrates

Fish, mice, and humans rely on two coexisting myeloid blood cell systems. One is sustained by hematopoietic progenitor cells, which reside in specialized microenvironments (niches) in hematopoietic organs and give rise to cells of the monocyte lineage. The other system corresponds to the independent lineage of self-renewing tissue macrophages, which colonize organs during embryonic development and are maintained during later life by proliferation in local tissue microenvironments. However, little is known about the nature of these microenvironments and their regulation. Moreover, many vertebrate tissues contain a mix of both tissue-resident and monocyte-derived macrophages, posing a challenge to the study of lineage-specific regulatory mechanisms and function. This review highlights how research in the simple model organism Drosophila melanogaster can address many of these outstanding questions in the field. Drawing parallels between hematopoiesis in Drosophila and vertebrates, we illustrate the evolutionary conservation of the two myeloid systems across animal phyla. Much like vertebrates, Drosophila possesses a lineage of self-renewing tissue-resident macrophages, which we refer to as tissue hemocytes, as well as a "definitive" lineage of macrophages that derive from hematopoiesis in the progenitor-based lymph gland. We summarize key findings from Drosophila hematopoiesis that illustrate how local microenvironments, systemic signals, immune challenges, and nervous inputs regulate adaptive responses of tissue-resident macrophages and progenitor-based hematopoiesis to maximize fitness of the animal.

Drosophila hematopoiesis: Markers and methods for molecular genetic analysis

Analyses of the Drosophila hematopoietic system are becoming more and more prevalent as developmental and functional parallels with vertebrate blood cells become more evident. Investigative work on the fly blood system has, out of necessity, led to the identification of new molecular markers for blood cell types and lineages and to the refinement of useful molecular genetic tools and analytical methods. This review briefly describes the Drosophila hematopoietic system at different developmental stages, summarizes the major useful cell markers and tools for each stage, and provides basic protocols for practical analysis of circulating blood cells and of the lymph gland, the larval hematopoietic organ.

Drosophila blood cell chemotaxis

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Integrin-mediated adhesion used by Drosophila blood cells to migrate in vivo.

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SCAR/WAVE is required for lamellipodia but also for clearance of apoptotic cells.

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The formins Fhos and Diaphanous regulate Drosophila macrophage migration and morphology.

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Calcium waves drive hydrogen peroxide production to regulate inflammatory migrations.

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The steroid hormone Ecdysone controls the onset of immune competence.

Drosophila melanogaster contains a population of blood cells called hemocytes that represent the functional equivalent of vertebrate macrophages. These cells undergo directed migrations to disperse during development and reach sites of tissue damage or altered self. These chemotactic behaviors are controlled by the expression of PDGF/Vegf-related ligands in developing embryos and local production of hydrogen peroxide at wounds. Recent work reveals that many molecules important in vertebrate cell motility, including integrins, formins, Ena/VASP proteins and the SCAR/WAVE complex, have a conserved function in these innate immune cells. The use of this model organism has elucidated how damage signals are activated by calcium signaling during inflammation and that the steroid hormone ecdysone activates immune competence at key developmental stages.

Transinfection: a method to investigate Wolbachia-host interactions and control arthropod-borne disease

The bacterial endosymbiont Wolbachia manipulates arthropod host biology in numerous ways, including sex ratio distortion and differential offspring survival. These bacteria infect a vast array of arthropods, some of which pose serious agricultural and human health threats. Wolbachia-mediated phenotypes such as cytoplasmic incompatibility and/or pathogen interference can be used for vector and disease control; however, many medically important vectors and important agricultural species are uninfected or are infected with strains of Wolbachia that do not elicit phenotypes desirable for disease or pest control. The ability to transfer strains of Wolbachia into new hosts (transinfection) can create novel Wolbachia-host associations. Transinfection has two primary benefits. First, Wolbachia-host interactions can be examined to tease apart the influence of the host and bacteria on phenotypes. Second, desirable phenotypes induced by Wolbachia in a particular insect can be transferred to another recipient host. This can allow the manipulation of insect populations that transmit pathogens or detrimentally affect agriculture. As such, transinfection is a valuable tool to explore Wolbachia biology and control arthropod-borne disease. The present review summarizes what is currently known about Wolbachia transinfection methods and applications. We also provide a comprehensive list of published successful and unsuccessful Wolbachia transinfection attempts.

A common fungal volatile organic compound induces a nitric oxide mediated inflammatory response in Drosophila melanogaster

Using a Drosophila model, we previously demonstrated truncated life span and neurotoxicity with exposure to 1-octen-3-ol, the volatile organic compound (VOC) responsible for much of the musty odor found in mold-contaminated indoor spaces. In this report, using biochemical and immunological assays, we show that exposure to 0.5 ppm 1-octen-3-ol induces a nitric oxide (NO) mediated inflammatory response in hemocytes, Drosophila innate immune cells. Moreover, exposed Drosophila brains show increased peroxynitrite expression. An increase in nitrite levels is observed with toluene and 1-octen-3-ol but not with 1-butanol. Pharmacological inhibitors of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) namely, L-NAME, D-NAME and minocycline, and NOS mutants show improvements of life span among 1-octen-3-ol exposed flies. Exposure to 1-octen-3-ol also induces NOS expression in larval tracheal tissues and remodels tracheal epithelial lining. These findings suggest a possible mechanistic basis for some of the reported adverse health effects attributed to mold exposure and demonstrates the utility of this in vivo Drosophila model to complement existing model systems for understanding the role of inflammation in VOC-mediated toxicity.

Nutritional regulation of stem and progenitor cells in Drosophila

Stem cells and their progenitors are maintained within a microenvironment, termed the niche, through local cell-cell communication. Systemic signals originating outside the niche also affect stem cell and progenitor behavior. This review summarizes studies that pertain to nutritional effects on stem and progenitor cell maintenance and proliferation in Drosophila. Multiple tissue types are discussed that utilize the insulin-related signaling pathway to convey nutritional information either directly to these progenitors or via other cell types within the niche. The concept of systemic control of these cell types is not limited to Drosophila and may be functional in vertebrate systems, including mammals.

[The drosophila hematopoietic niche]

Stem cells are required for both tissue renewal and repair in response to injury. The maintenance and function of stem cells is controlled by their specific cellular microenvironment called "niche". Hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) that give rise to all blood cell types have been extensively studied in mammals. Genetic and molecular analyses performed in mice identified several signaling pathways involved in the cellular communications between HSC and their niche. However, hematopoietic niche plasticity remains poorly understood. The discovery of a Drosophila hematopoietic niche, called PSC, established a new model to decipher the niche function in vivo. Size control of the PSC is essential to maintain hematopoietic tissue homeostasis and a molecular cascade controlling the PSC cell number has been characterized. Novel parallels between Drosophila and mammalian hematopoietic niches open new perspectives for studies of HSC biology in human.

Drosophila as a model to study the role of blood cells in inflammation, innate immunity and cancer

Drosophila has a primitive yet effective blood system with three types of haemocytes which function throughout different developmental stages and environmental stimuli. Haemocytes play essential roles in tissue modeling during embryogenesis and morphogenesis, and also in innate immunity. The open circulatory system of Drosophila makes haemocytes ideal signal mediators to cells and tissues in response to events such as infection and wounding. The application of recently developed and sophisticated genetic tools to the relatively simple genome of Drosophila has made the fly a popular system for modeling human tumorigensis and metastasis. Drosophila is now used for screening and investigation of genes implicated in human leukemia and also in modeling development of solid tumors. This second line of research offers promising opportunities to determine the seemingly conflicting roles of blood cells in tumor progression and invasion. This review provides an overview of the signaling pathways conserved in Drosophila during haematopoiesis, haemostasis, innate immunity, wound healing and inflammation. We also review the most recent progress in the use of Drosophila as a cancer research model with an emphasis on the roles haemocytes can play in various cancer models and in the links between inflammation and cancer.

The cell-mediated immunity of Drosophila melanogaster: hemocyte lineages, immune compartments, microanatomy and regulation

In the animal kingdom, innate immunity is the first line of defense against invading pathogens. The dangers of microbial and parasitic attacks are countered by similar mechanisms, involving the prototypes of the cell-mediated immune responses, the phagocytosis and encapsulation. Work on Drosophila has played an important role in promoting an understanding of the basic mechanisms of phylogenetically conserved modules of innate immunity. The aim of this review is to survey the developments in the identification and functional definition of immune cell types and the immunological compartments of Drosophila melanogaster. We focus on the molecular and developmental aspects of the blood cell types and compartments, as well as the dynamics of blood cell development and the immune response. Further advances in the characterization of the innate immune mechanisms in Drosophila will provide basic clues to the understanding of the importance of the evolutionary conserved mechanisms of innate immune defenses in the animal kingdom.

Multiple regulatory safeguards confine the expression of the GATA factor Serpent to the hemocyte primordium within the Drosophila mesoderm

serpent (srp) encodes a GATA-factor that controls various aspects of embryogenesis in Drosophila, such as fatbody development, gut differentiation and hematopoiesis. During hematopoiesis, srp expression is required in the embryonic head mesoderm and the larval lymph gland, the two known hematopoietic tissues of Drosophila, to obtain mature hemocytes. srp expression in the hemocyte primordium is known to depend on snail and buttonhead, but the regulatory complexity that defines the primordium has not been addressed yet. Here, we find that srp is sufficient to transform trunk mesoderm into hemocytes. We identify two disjoint cis-regulatory modules that direct the early expression in the hemocyte primordium and the late expression in mature hemocytes and lymph gland, respectively. During embryonic hematopoiesis, a combination of snail, buttonhead, empty spiracles and even-skipped confines the mesodermal srp expression to the head region. This restriction to the head mesoderm is crucial as ectopic srp in mesodermal precursors interferes with the development of mesodermal derivates and promotes hemocytes and fatbody development. Thus, several genes work in a combined fashion to restrain early srp expression to the head mesoderm in order to prevent expansion of the hemocyte primordium.

Activation of Drosophila hemocyte motility by the ecdysone hormone

Drosophila hemocytes compose the cellular arm of the fly's innate immune system. Plasmatocytes, putative homologues to mammalian macrophages, represent ∼95% of the migratory hemocyte population in circulation and are responsible for the phagocytosis of bacteria and apoptotic tissues that arise during metamorphosis. It is not known as to how hemocytes become activated from a sessile state in response to such infectious and developmental cues, although the hormone ecdysone has been suggested as the signal that shifts hemocyte behaviour from quiescent to migratory at metamorphosis. Here, we corroborate this hypothesis by showing the activation of hemocyte motility by ecdysone. We induce motile behaviour in larval hemocytes by culturing them with 20-hydroxyecdysone ex vivo. Moreover, we also determine that motile cell behaviour requires the ecdysone receptor complex and leads to asymmetrical redistribution of both actin and tubulin cytoskeleton.

Knockdown of SCF(Skp2) function causes double-parked accumulation in the nucleus and DNA re-replication in Drosophila plasmatocytes

In Drosophila, circulating hemocytes are derived from the cephalic mesoderm during the embryonic wave of hematopoiesis. These cells are contributed to the larva and persist through metamorphosis into the adult. To analyze this population of hemocytes, we considered data from a previously published RNAi screen in the hematopoietic niche, which suggested several members of the SCF complex play a role in lymph gland development. eater-Gal4;UAS-GFP flies were crossed to UAS-RNAi lines to knockdown the function of all known SCF complex members in a plasmatocyte-specific fashion, in order to identify which members are novel regulators of plasmatocytes. This specific SCF complex contains five core members: Lin-19-like, SkpA, Skp2, Roc1a and complex activator Nedd8. The complex was identified by its very distinctive large cell phenotype. Furthermore, these large cells stained for anti-P1, a plasmatocyte-specific antibody. It was also noted that the DNA in these cells appeared to be over-replicated. Gamma-tubulin and DAPI staining suggest the cells are undergoing re-replication as they had multiple centrioles and excessive DNA content. Further experimentation determined enlarged cells were BrdU-positive indicating they have progressed through S-phase. To determine how these cells become enlarged and undergo re-replication, cell cycle proteins were analyzed by immunofluorescence. This analysis identified three proteins that had altered subcellular localization in these enlarged cells: Cyclin E, Geminin and Double-parked. Previous research has shown that Double-parked must be degraded to exit S-phase, otherwise the DNA will undergo re-replication. When Double-parked was titrated from the nucleus by an excess of its inhibitor, geminin, the enlarged cells and aberrant protein localization phenotypes were partially rescued. The data in this report suggests that the SCF^Skp2 complex is necessary to ubiquitinate Double-parked during plasmatocyte cell division, ensuring proper cell cycle progression and the generation of a normal population of this essential blood cell type.

Drosophila pupal macrophages--a versatile tool for combined ex vivo and in vivo imaging of actin dynamics at high resolution

Molecular understanding of actin dynamics requires a genetically traceable model system that allows live cell imaging together with high-resolution microscopy techniques. Here, we used Drosophila pupal macrophages that combine many advantages of cultured cells with a genetic in vivo model system. Using structured illumination microscopy together with advanced spinning disk confocal microscopy we show that these cells provide a powerful system for single gene analysis. It allows forward genetic screens to characterize the regulatory network controlling cell shape and directed cell migration in a physiological context. We knocked down components regulating lamellipodia formation, including WAVE, single subunits of Arp2/3 complex and CPA, one of the two capping protein subunits and demonstrate the advantages of this model system by imaging mutant macrophages ex vivo as well as in vivo upon laser-induced wounding.

A short history of hemogenic endothelium

Definitive hematopoietic cells are generated de novo during ontogeny from a specialized subset of endothelium, the so-called hemogenic endothelium. In this review we give a brief overview of the identification of hemogenic endothelium, explore its links with the HSC lineage, and summarize recent insights into the nature of hemogenic endothelium and the microenvironmental and intrinsic regulators contributing to its transition into blood. Ultimately, a better understanding of the processes controlling the transition of endothelium into blood will advance the generation and expansion of hematopoietic stem cells for therapeutic purposes.

Drosophila E-cadherin functions in hematopoietic progenitors to maintain multipotency and block differentiation

A fundamental question in stem cell biology concerns the regulatory strategies that control the choice between multipotency and differentiation. Drosophila blood progenitors or prohemocytes exhibit key stem cell characteristics, including multipotency, quiescence, and niche dependence. As a result, studies of Drosophila hematopoiesis have provided important insights into the molecular mechanisms that control these processes. Here, we show that E-cadherin is an important regulator of prohemocyte fate choice, maintaining prohemocyte multipotency and blocking differentiation. These functions are reminiscent of the role of E-cadherin in mammalian embryonic stem cells. We also show that mis-expression of E-cadherin in differentiating hemocytes disrupts the boundary between these cells and undifferentiated prohemocytes. Additionally, upregulation of E-cadherin in differentiating hemocytes increases the number of intermediate cell types expressing the prohemocyte marker, Patched. Furthermore, our studies indicate that the Drosophila GATA transcriptional co-factor, U-shaped, is required for E-cadherin expression. Consequently, E-cadherin is a downstream target of U-shaped in the maintenance of prohemocyte multipotency. In contrast, we showed that forced expression of the U-shaped GATA-binding partner, Serpent, repressed E-cadherin expression and promoted lamellocyte differentiation. Thus, U-shaped may maintain E-cadherin expression by blocking the inhibitory activity of Serpent. Collectively, these observations suggest that GATA:FOG complex formation regulates E-cadherin levels and, thereby, the choice between multipotency and differentiation. The work presented in this report further defines the molecular basis of prohemocyte cell fate choice, which will provide important insights into the mechanisms that govern stem cell biology.

Diferential DNA synthesis in Anopheles albimanus tissues induced by immune challenge with different microorganisms

The induction of DNA synthesis in various tissues of Anopheles albimanus, in response to challenge with Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Micrococcus luteus, and Serratia marcescens, was analyzed by 5-bromo-2-deoxy-uridine (BrdU) incorporation. Microorganism-inoculated mosquitoes were fed with a sucrose solution containing BrdU and maintained alive for 5 days. Alternatively, abdominal carcasses of microorganisms-inoculated mosquitoes were cultivated in Roswell Park Memorial Institute (RPMI) medium supplemented with BrdU for 5 days. Control groups were inoculated with RPMI alone. In both experiments, DNA synthesis, evidenced by epifluorescence with an anti-BrdU fluorescein-labeled antibody, occurred in fat body, epithelial cells of pleural membranes, dorsal vessel, and the oviducts. Relative quantification of DNA synthesis, evaluated by ELISA using an anti-BrdU peroxidase-labeled antibody, was higher in abdomen tissues of microorganisms-inoculated mosquitoes than controls in in vitro and in vivo experiments. The intensity of DNA synthesis varied among the different microorganism challenges, but was higher in in vivo experiments, compared to cultured samples. These differences in DNA synthesis suggest a compartmentalization of the immune response, probably mediated by different signaling pathways.

Polydnaviral ankyrin proteins aid parasitic wasp survival by coordinate and selective inhibition of hematopoietic and immune NF-kappa B signaling in insect hosts

Polydnaviruses are mutualists of their parasitoid wasps and express genes in immune cells of their Lepidopteran hosts. Polydnaviral genomes carry multiple copies of viral ankyrins or vankyrins. Vankyrin proteins are homologous to IκB proteins, but lack sequences for regulated degradation. We tested if Ichnoviral Vankyrins differentially impede Toll-NF-κB-dependent hematopoietic and immune signaling in a heterologous in vivo Drosophila, system. We first show that hematopoiesis and the cellular encapsulation response against parasitoid wasps are tightly-linked via NF-κB signaling. The niche, which neighbors the larval hematopoietic progenitors, responds to parasite infection. Drosophila NF-κB proteins are expressed in the niche, and non cell-autonomously influence fate choice in basal and parasite-activated hematopoiesis. These effects are blocked by the Vankyrin I²-vank-3, but not by P-vank-1, as is the expression of a NF-κB target transgene. I²-vank-3 and P-vank-1 differentially obstruct cellular and humoral inflammation. Additionally, their maternal expression weakens ventral embryonic patterning. We propose that selective perturbation of NF-κB-IκB interactions in natural hosts of parasitic wasps negatively impacts the outcome of hematopoietic and immune signaling and this immune deficit contributes to parasite survival and species success in nature.

Parasitoid wasps are insects whose development takes place within the body of other insects. To survive, wasp larvae must overcome the immune defenses of their hosts. How parasitic wasps overcome host immunity is not fully understood even though we know that different strategies using venoms, virus-like particles, or viruses are involved. A unique class of viruses, called polydnaviruses is found in two families of wasps that comprise more than 20,000 wasp species. The genomes of polydnaviruses encode proteins with ankyrin repeats. Ankyrin repeats are also found in Cactus, the inhibitor protein of NF-κB signaling in Drosophila. Viral ankyrin proteins, or Vankyrins, however, lack the amino acid sequences necessary for turnover found in Cactus and mammalian IκB family members. We show that Vankyrins produced by polydnaviruses of a parasitic wasp that attacks caterpillars of many common agricultural pests can block NF-κB signaling in fruit fly larvae. This inhibition supports parasite success. Our work highlights the crucial role of NF-κB signaling across insect taxa in insect-insect and insect-virus interactions. Studies of polydnaviral ankyrin proteins in Drosophila reveal that immune-suppressive viruses may block both cellular and humoral immunity in insects to win the biological ‘arms race’.

Platelet-derived growth factor/vascular endothelial growth factor receptor inactivation by sunitinib results in Tsc1/Tsc2-dependent inhibition of TORC1

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) receptors are implicated in development and tumorigenesis and dual inhibitors like sunitinib are prescribed for cancer treatment. While mammalian VEGF and PDGF receptors are present in multiple isoforms and heterodimers, Drosophila encodes one ancestral PDGF/VEGF receptor, PVR. We identified PVR in an unbiased cell-based RNA interference (RNAi) screen of all Drosophila kinases and phosphatases for novel regulators of TORC1. PVR is essential to sustain target of rapamycin complex 1 (TORC1) and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) activity in cultured insect cells and for maximal stimulation by insulin. CG32406 (henceforth, PVRAP, for PVR adaptor protein), an Src homology 2 (SH2) domain-containing protein, binds PVR and is required for TORC1 activation. TORC1 activation by PVR involves Tsc1/Tsc2 and, in a cell-type-dependent manner, Lobe (ortholog of PRAS40). PVR is required for cell survival in vitro, and both PVR and TORC1 are necessary for hemocyte expansion in vivo. Constitutive PVR activation induces tumor-like structures that exhibit high TORC1 activity. Like its mammalian orthologs, PVR is inhibited by sunitinib, and sunitinib treatment phenocopies PVR loss in hemocytes. Sunitinib inhibits TORC1 in insect cells, and sunitinib-mediated TORC1 inhibition requires an intact Tsc1/Tsc2 complex. Sunitinib similarly inhibited TORC1 in human endothelial cells in a Tsc1/Tsc2-dependent manner. Our findings provide insight into the mechanism of action of PVR and may have implications for understanding sunitinib sensitivity and resistance in tumors.

The Drosophila JAK-STAT pathway in blood cell formation and immunity

Genetic alterations affecting the JAK-STAT signaling pathway are linked to several malignancies and hematological disorders in humans. Despite being one of the most extensively studied pathways, there remain many gaps to fill. JAK-STAT components are widely conserved during evolution. Here, we review the known roles of the JAK-STAT pathway in Drosophila immunity: controlling the different steps of hematopoiesis, both under physiological conditions and in response to immune challenge, and contributing to antiviral responses. We then summarize what is currently known about JAK-STAT signaling in renewal of the adult intestine, under physiological conditions or in response to ingestion of pathogenic bacteria.

Characterization of hemocytes proliferation in larval silkworm, Bombyx mori

Hemocytes play multiple important roles during insect growth and development. Five types of hemocytes have been identified in the silkworm, Bombyx mori: prohemocyte, plasmatocyte, granulocyte, spherulocyte, and oenocytoid. We used the S-phase marker bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) antibody along with the mitosis marker phosphohistone H3 (PHH3) antibody to monitor proliferation of hemocytes in vivo. The results indicate that silkworm hematopoiesis not only occurs in the circulatory system but also in hematopoietic organs (HPOs). During the 5th instar, the hemocyte proliferation in the circulatory system reaches a peak at the pre-wandering stage. Following infection by Escherichia coli, circulating hemocytes increase their cell divisions as demanded by the cellular immune response. All hemocytes, except spherulocytes, have the capacity to multiply in vivo. The BrdU label-retaining assay shows that a small portion of cells from the circulatory system and the HPOs are continuously labelled up to 9days and 4days respectively. A small number of long-term label retaining cells (LRCs) quiescently locate in circulatory system. All results indicate that there are a few quiescent stem cells or some progenitors in the larval circulatory system and HPO that produce new hemocytes and continuously release them into the circulating system.

Spatial and temporal in vivo analysis of circulating and sessile immune cells in mosquitoes: hemocyte mitosis following infection

Background

Mosquitoes respond to infection by mounting immune responses. The primary regulators of these immune responses are cells called hemocytes, which kill pathogens via phagocytosis and via the production of soluble antimicrobial factors. Mosquito hemocytes are circulated throughout the hemocoel (body cavity) by the swift flow of hemolymph (blood), and data show that some hemocytes also exist as sessile cells that are attached to tissues. The purpose of this study was to create a quantitative physical map of hemocyte distribution in the mosquito, Anopheles gambiae, and to describe the cellular immune response in an organismal context.

Results

Using correlative imaging methods we found that the number of hemocytes in a mosquito decreases with age, but that regardless of age, approximately 75% of the hemocytes occur in circulation and 25% occur as sessile cells. Infection induces an increase in the number of hemocytes, and tubulin and nuclear staining showed that this increase is primarily due to mitosis and, more specifically, autonomous cell division, by circulating granulocytes. The majority of sessile hemocytes are present on the abdominal wall, although significant numbers of hemocytes are also present in the thorax, head, and several of the appendages. Within the abdominal wall, the areas of highest hemocyte density are the periostial regions (regions surrounding the valves of the heart, or ostia), which are ideal locations for pathogen capture as these are areas of high hemolymph flow.

Conclusions

These data describe the spatial and temporal distribution of mosquito hemocytes, and map the cellular response to infection throughout the hemocoel.

Current immunity markers in insect ecological immunology: assumed trade-offs and methodological issues

The field of ecological immunology currently relies on using a number of immune effectors or markers. These markers are usually used to infer ecological trade-offs (via conflicts in resource allocation), though physiological nature of these markers remains elusive. Here, we review markers frequently used in insect evolutionary ecology research: cuticle darkening, haemocyte density, nodule/capsule formation, phagocytosis and encapsulation/melanization via use of nylon filaments and beads, phenoloxidase activity, nitric oxide production, lysozyme and antimicrobial peptide production. We also provide physiologically based information that may shed light on the probable trade-offs inferred when these markers are used. In addition, we provide a number of methodological suggestions to improve immune marker assessment.

The actin cross-linker Filamin/Cheerio mediates tumor malignancy downstream of JNK signaling

Cell shape dynamics, motility, and cell proliferation all depend on the actin cytoskeleton. Malignant cancer cells hijack the actin network to grow and migrate to secondary sites. Understanding the function of actin regulators is therefore of major interest. In the present study, we identify the actin cross-linking protein Filamin/Cheerio (Cher) as a mediator of malignancy in genetically defined Drosophila tumors. We show that in invasive tumors, resulting from cooperation of activated Ras with disrupted epithelial cell polarity, Cher is upregulated in a Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK)-dependent manner. Although dispensable in normal epithelium, Cher becomes required in the tumor cells for their growth and invasiveness. When deprived of Cher, these tumor clones lose their full potential to proliferate and breach tissue boundaries. Instead, the Cher-deficient clones remain confined within the limits of their source epithelium, permitting survival of the host animal. Through interaction with the myosin II heavy chain subunit, Cher is likely to strengthen the cortical actomyosin network and reinforce mechanical tension within the invasive tumors. Accordingly, Cher is required for aberrant expression of genes downstream of the Hippo/Yorkie signaling in the tumor tissue. Our study identifies Cher as a new target of JNK signaling that links cytoskeleton dynamics to tumor progression.

Of blood cells and the nervous system: hematopoiesis in the Drosophila larva

Hematopoiesis is well-conserved between Drosophila and vertebrates. Similar as in vertebrates, the sites of hematopoiesis shift during Drosophila development. Blood cells (hemocytes) originate de novo during hematopoietic waves in the embryo and in the Drosophila lymph gland. In contrast, the hematopoietic wave in the larva is based on the colonization of resident hematopoietic sites by differentiated hemocytes that arise in the embryo, much like in vertebrates the colonization of peripheral tissues by primitive macrophages of the yolk sac, or the seeding of fetal liver, spleen and bone marrow by hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells. At the transition to the larval stage, Drosophila embryonic hemocytes retreat to hematopoietic "niches," i.e., segmentally repeated hematopoietic pockets of the larval body wall that are jointly shared with sensory neurons and other cells of the peripheral nervous system (PNS). Hemocytes rely on the PNS for their localization and survival, and are induced to proliferate in these microenvironments, expanding to form the larval hematopoietic system. In this process, differentiated hemocytes from the embryo resume proliferation and self-renew, omitting the need for an undifferentiated prohemocyte progenitor. Larval hematopoiesis is the first Drosophila model for blood cell colonization and niche support by the PNS. It suggests an interface where innocuous or noxious sensory inputs regulate blood cell homeostasis or immune responses. The system adds to the growing concept of nervous system dependence of hematopoietic microenvironments and organ stem cell niches, which is being uncovered across phyla.

Identification of genes underlying hypoxia tolerance in Drosophila by a P-element screen

Hypoxia occurs in physiologic conditions (e.g. high altitude) or during pathologic states (e.g. ischemia). Our research is focused on understanding the molecular mechanisms that lead to adaptation and survival or injury to hypoxic stress using Drosophila as a model system. To identify genes involved in hypoxia tolerance, we screened the P-SUP P-element insertion lines available for all the chromosomes of Drosophila. We screened for the eclosion rates of embryos developing under 5% O(2) condition and the number of adult flies surviving one week after eclosion in the same hypoxic environment. Out of 2187 lines (covering ~1870 genes) screened, 44 P-element lines representing 44 individual genes had significantly higher eclosion rates (i.e. >70%) than those of the controls (i.e. ~7-8%) under hypoxia. The molecular function of these candidate genes ranged from cell cycle regulation, DNA or protein binding, GTP binding activity, and transcriptional regulators. In addition, based on pathway analysis, we found these genes are involved in multiple pathways, such as Notch, Wnt, Jnk, and Hedgehog. Particularly, we found that 20 out of the 44 candidate genes are linked to Notch signaling pathway, strongly suggesting that this pathway is essential for hypoxia tolerance in flies. By employing the UAS/RNAi-Gal4 system, we discovered that genes such as osa (linked to Wnt and Notch pathways) and lqf (Notch regulator) play an important role in survival and development under hypoxia in Drosophila. Based on these results and our previous studies, we conclude that hypoxia tolerance is a polygenic trait including the Notch pathway.

Signal transduction pathways, intrinsic regulators, and the control of cell fate choice

BACKGROUND

Information regarding changes in organismal status is transmitted to the stem cell regulatory machinery by a limited number of signal transduction pathways. Consequently, these pathways derive their functional specificity through interactions with stem cell intrinsic master regulators, notably transcription factors. Identifying the molecular underpinnings of these interactions is critical to understanding stem cell function.

SCOPE OF REVIEW

This review focuses on studies in Drosophila that identify the gene regulatory basis for interactions between three different signal transduction pathways and an intrinsic master transcriptional regulator in the context of hematopoietic stem-like cell fate choice. Specifically, the interface between the GATA:FOG regulatory complex and the JAK/STAT, BMP, and Hedgehog pathways is examined.

MAJOR CONCLUSIONS

The GATA:FOG complex coordinates information transmitted by at least three different signal transduction pathways as a means to control stem-like cell fate choice. This illustrates emerging principles concerning regulation of stem cell function and describes a gene regulatory link between changes in organismal status and stem cell response.

GENERAL SIGNIFICANCE

The Drosophila model system offers a powerful approach to identify the molecular basis of how stem cells receive, interpret, and then respond to changes in organismal status. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Biochemistry of Stem Cells.

Sumoylation is tumor-suppressive and confers proliferative quiescence to hematopoietic progenitors in Drosophila melanogaster larvae

How cell-intrinsic regulation of the cell cycle and the extrinsic influence of the niche converge to provide proliferative quiescence, safeguard tissue integrity, and provide avenues to stop stem cells from giving rise to tumors is a major challenge in gene therapy and tissue engineering. We explore this question in sumoylation-deficient mutants of Drosophila. In wild type third instar larval lymph glands, a group of hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells acquires quiescence; a multicellular niche supports their undifferentiated state. However, how proliferative quiescence is instilled in this population is not understood. We show that Ubc9 protein is nuclear in this population. Loss of the SUMO-activating E1 enzyme, Aos1/Uba2, the conjugating E2 enzyme, Ubc9, or the E3 SUMO ligase, PIAS, results in a failure of progenitors to quiesce; progenitors become hyperplastic, misdifferentiate, and develop into microtumors that eventually detach from the dorsal vessel. Significantly, dysplasia and lethality of Ubc9 mutants are rescued when Ubc9(wt) is provided specifically in the progenitor populations, but not when it is provided in the niche or in the differentiated cortex. While normal progenitors express high levels of the Drosophila cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p21 homolog, Dacapo, the corresponding overgrown mutant population exhibits a marked reduction in Dacapo. Forced expression of either Dacapo or human p21 in progenitors shrinks this population. The selective expression of either protein in mutant progenitor cells, but not in other hematopoietic populations, limits overgrowth, blocks tumorogenesis, and restores organ integrity. We discuss an essential and complex role for sumoylation in preserving the hematopoietic progenitor states for stress response and in the context of normal development of the fly.

Schnurri regulates hemocyte function to promote tissue recovery after DNA damage

Tissue recovery after injury requires coordinated regulation of cell repair and apoptosis, removal of dead cells and regeneration. A critical step in this process is the recruitment of blood cells that mediate local inflammatory and immune responses, promoting tissue recovery. Here we identify a new role for the transcriptional regulator Schnurri (Shn) in the recovery of UV-damaged Drosophila retina. Using an experimental paradigm that allows precise quantification of tissue recovery after a defined dose of UV, we find that Shn activity in the retina is required to limit tissue damage. This function of Shn relies on its transcriptional induction of the PDGF-related growth factor Pvf1, which signals to tissue-associated hemocytes. We show that the Pvf1 receptor PVR acts in hemocytes to induce a macrophage-like morphology and that this is required to limit tissue loss after irradiation. Our results identify a new Shn-regulated paracrine signaling interaction between damaged retinal cells and hemocytes that ensures recovery and homeostasis of the challenged tissue.

Real-time analysis of Drosophila post-embryonic haemocyte behaviour

BACKGROUND

The larval stage of the model organism Drosophila is frequently used to study host-pathogen interactions. During embryogenesis the cellular arm of the immune response, consisting of macrophage-like cells known as plasmatocytes, is extremely motile and functions to phagocytise pathogens and apoptotic bodies, as well as produce extracellular matrix. The cellular branch of the larval (post-embryonic) innate immune system consists of three cell types--plasmatocytes, crystal cells and lamellocytes--which are involved in the phagocytosis, encapsulation and melanisation of invading pathogens. Post-embryonic haemocyte motility is poorly understood thus further characterisation is required, for the purpose of standardisation.

METHODOLOGY

In order to examine post-embryonic haemocyte cytoskeletal dynamics or migration, the most commonly used system is in vitro cell lines. The current study employs an ex vivo system (an adaptation of in vitro cell incubation using primary cells), in which primary larval or pre-pupal haemocytes are isolated for short term analysis, in order to discover various aspects of their behaviour during events requiring cytoskeleton dynamics.

SIGNIFICANCE

The ex vivo method allows for real-time analysis and manipulation of primary post-embryonic haemocytes. This technique was used to characterise, and potentially standardised, larval and pre-pupal haemocyte cytoskeleton dynamics, assayed on different extracellular matrices. Using this method it was determined that, while larval haemocytes are unable to migrate, haemocytes recovered from pre-pupae are capable of migration.

The role of LamininB2 (LanB2) during mesoderm differentiation in Drosophila

In Drosophila, four genes encode for laminin subunits and the formation of two laminin heterotrimers has been postulated. We report the identification of mutations in the Drosophila LamininB2 (LanB2) gene that encodes for the only laminin γ subunit and is found in both heterotrimers. We describe their effects on embryogenesis, in particular the differentiation of visceral tissues with respect to the ECM. Analysis of mesoderm endoderm interaction indicates disrupted basement membranes and defective endoderm migration, which finally interferes with visceral myotube stretching. Extracellular deposition of laminin is blocked due to the loss of the LanB2 subunit, resulting in an abnormal distribution of ECM components. Our data, concerning the different function of both trimers during organogenesis, suggest that these trimers might act in a cumulative way and probably at multiple steps during ECM assembly. We also observed genetic interactions with kon-tiki and thrombospondin, indicating a role for laminin during muscle attachment.

Elucidating the in vivo targets of photorhabdus toxins in real-time using Drosophila embryos

The outcome of any bacterial infection, whether it is clearance of the infecting pathogen, establishment of a persistent infection, or even death of the host, is as dependent on the host as on the pathogen (Finlay and Falkow 1989). To infect a susceptible host bacterial pathogens express virulence factors, which alter host cell physiology and allow the pathogen to establish a nutrient-rich niche for growth and avoid clearance by the host immune response. However survival within the host often results in tissue damage, which to some cases accounts for the disease-specific pathology. For many bacterial pathogens the principal determinants of virulence and elicitors of host tissue damage are soluble exotoxins, which allow bacteria to penetrate into deeper tissue or pass through a host epithelial or endothelial barrier. Therefore, exploring the complex interplay between host tissue and bacterial toxins can help us to understand infectious disease and define the contributions of the host immune system to bacterial virulence. In this chapter, we describe a new model, the Drosophila embryo, for addressing a fundamental issue in bacterial pathogenesis, the elucidation of the in vivo targets of bacterial toxins and the monitoring of the first moments of the infection process in real-time. To develop this model, we used the insect and emerging human pathogen Photorhabdus asymbiotica and more specifically we characterised the initial cross-talk between the secreted cytotoxin Mcf1 and the embryonic hemocytes. Mcf1 is a potent cytotoxin which has been detected in all Photorhabdus strains isolated so far, which can rapidly kill insects upon injection. Despite several in vitro tissue culture studies, the biology of Mcf1 in vivo is not well understood. Furthermore, despite the identification of many Photorhabdus toxins using recombinant expression in E. coli (Waterfield et al. 2008), very few studies address the molecular mechanism of action of these toxins in relation to specific immune responses in vivo in the insect model.

Transcriptional regulation of eater gene expression in Drosophila blood cells

Eater is a transmembrane protein that mediates phagocytosis in Drosophila. eater was identified in a microarray analysis of genes downregulated in S2 cells, in which Serpent had been knocked down by RNAi. The gene was shown to be expressed predominantly in plasmatocytes after embryonic development. We have extensively analyzed the transcriptional enhancer controlling eater expression with the following findings: the enhancer reproduces the plasmatocyte expression pattern of the gene as verified by anti-P1 antibody staining and a 526-basepair DNA region is active in lymph gland and hemolymph plasmatocytes. This DNA contains several GATA elements that serve as putative-binding sites for Serpent. Site-directed mutagenesis of two of these GATA sites abolishes eater expression in both lymph gland and hemolymph plasmatocytes. This suggests that Serpent regulates eater expression by binding these GATA sites, which was confirmed by gel shift analysis. These analyses allowed us to use eater-Gal4 to force plasmatocyte to lamellocyte differentiation.

Sumoylation is tumor-suppressive and confers proliferative quiescence to hematopoietic progenitors in Drosophila melanogaster larvae

How cell-intrinsic regulation of the cell cycle and the extrinsic influence of the niche converge to provide proliferative quiescence, safeguard tissue integrity, and provide avenues to stop stem cells from giving rise to tumors is a major challenge in gene therapy and tissue engineering. We explore this question in sumoylation-deficient mutants of Drosophila. In wild type third instar larval lymph glands, a group of hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells acquires quiescence; a multicellular niche supports their undifferentiated state. However, how proliferative quiescence is instilled in this population is not understood. We show that Ubc9 protein is nuclear in this population. Loss of the SUMO-activating E1 enzyme, Aos1/Uba2, the conjugating E2 enzyme, Ubc9, or the E3 SUMO ligase, PIAS, results in a failure of progenitors to quiesce; progenitors become hyperplastic, misdifferentiate, and develop into microtumors that eventually detach from the dorsal vessel. Significantly, dysplasia and lethality of Ubc9 mutants are rescued when Ubc9wt is provided specifically in the progenitor populations, but not when it is provided in the niche or in the differentiated cortex. While normal progenitors express high levels of the Drosophila cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p21 homolog, Dacapo, the corresponding overgrown mutant population exhibits a marked reduction in Dacapo. Forced expression of either Dacapo or human p21 in progenitors shrinks this population. The selective expression of either protein in mutant progenitor cells, but not in other hematopoietic populations, limits overgrowth, blocks tumorogenesis, and restores organ integrity. We discuss an essential and complex role for sumoylation in preserving the hematopoietic progenitor states for stress response and in the context of normal development of the fly.

The peripheral nervous system supports blood cell homing and survival in the Drosophila larva

Interactions of hematopoietic cells with their microenvironment control blood cell colonization, homing and hematopoiesis. Here, we introduce larval hematopoiesis as the first Drosophila model for hematopoietic colonization and the role of the peripheral nervous system (PNS) as a microenvironment in hematopoiesis. The Drosophila larval hematopoietic system is founded by differentiated hemocytes of the embryo, which colonize segmentally repeated epidermal-muscular pockets and proliferate in these locations. Importantly, we show that these resident hemocytes tightly colocalize with peripheral neurons and we demonstrate that larval hemocytes depend on the PNS as an attractive and trophic microenvironment. atonal (ato) mutant or genetically ablated larvae, which are deficient for subsets of peripheral neurons, show a progressive apoptotic decline in hemocytes and an incomplete resident hemocyte pattern, whereas supernumerary peripheral neurons induced by ectopic expression of the proneural gene scute (sc) misdirect hemocytes to these ectopic locations. This PNS-hematopoietic connection in Drosophila parallels the emerging role of the PNS in hematopoiesis and immune functions in vertebrates, and provides the basis for the systematic genetic dissection of the PNS-hematopoietic axis in the future.

S. S, Inamdar MS. Asrij maintains the stem cell niche and controls differentiation during Drosophila lymph gland hematopoiesis

Several signaling pathways control blood cell (hemocyte) development in the Drosophila lymph gland. Mechanisms that modulate and integrate these signals are poorly understood. Here we report that mutation in a conserved endocytic protein Asrij affects signal transmission and causes aberrant lymph gland hematopoiesis. Mammalian Asrij (Ociad1) is expressed in stem cells of the blood vascular system and is implicated in several cancers. We found that Drosophila Asrij is a pan-hemocyte marker and localizes to a subset of endocytic vesicles. Loss of asrij causes hyperproliferation of lymph gland lobes coupled with increased hemocyte differentiation, thereby depleting the pool of quiescent hemocyte precursors. This co-relates with fewer Col+ cells in the hematopoietic stem cell niche of asrij mutants. Asrij null mutants also show excess specification of crystal cells that express the RUNX factor Lozenge (Lz), a target of Notch signaling. Asrij mutant lymph glands show increased N in sorting endosomes suggesting aberrant trafficking. In vitro assays also show impaired traffic of fluorescent probes in asrij null hemocytes. Taken together our data suggest a role for Asrij in causing increased Notch signaling thereby affecting hemocyte differentiation. Thus, conserved endocytic functions may control blood cell progenitor quiescence and differentiation.

Genome-wide examination of the transcriptional response to ecdysteroids 20-hydroxyecdysone and ponasterone A in Drosophila melanogaster

Background

The 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E) hierarchy of gene activation serves as an attractive model system for studying the mode of steroid hormone regulated gene expression and development. Many structural analogs of 20E exist in nature and among them the plant-derived ponasterone A (PoA) is the most potent. PoA has a higher affinity for the 20E nuclear receptor, composed of the ecysone receptor (EcR) and Ultraspiracle proteins, than 20E and a comparison of the genes regulated by these hormones has not been performed. Furthermore, in Drosophila different cell types elicit different morphological responses to 20E yet the cell type specificity of the 20E transcriptional response has not been examined on a genome-wide scale. We aim to characterize the transcriptional response to 20E and PoA in Drosophila Kc cells and to 20E in salivary glands and provide a robust comparison of genes involved in each response.

Results

Our genome-wide microarray analysis of Kc167 cells treated with 20E or PoA revealed that far more genes are regulated by PoA than by 20E (256 vs 148 respectively) and that there is very little overlap between the transcriptional responses to each hormone. Interestingly, genes induced by 20E relative to PoA are enriched in functions related to development. We also find that many genes regulated by 20E in Kc167 cells are not regulated by 20E in salivary glands of wandering 3^rd instar larvae and we show that 20E-induced levels of EcR isoforms EcR-RA, ER-RC, and EcR-RD/E differ between Kc cells and salivary glands suggesting a possible cause for the observed differences in 20E-regulated gene transcription between the two cell types.

Conclusions

We report significant differences in the transcriptional responses of 20E and PoA, two steroid hormones that differ by only a single hydroxyl group. We also provide evidence that suggests that PoA induced death of non-adapted insects may be related to PoA regulating different set of genes when compared to 20E. In addition, we reveal large differences between Kc cells and salivary glands with regard to their genome-wide transcriptional response to 20E and show that the level of induction of certain EcR isoforms differ between Kc cells and salivary glands. We hypothesize that the differences in the transcriptional response may in part be due to differences in the EcR isoforms present in different cell types.

Hematopoiesis at the onset of metamorphosis: terminal differentiation and dissociation of the Drosophila lymph gland

The Drosophila melanogaster hematopoietic organ, called lymph gland, proliferates and differentiates throughout the larval period. The lymph gland of the late larva is comprised of a large primary lobe and several smaller secondary lobes. Differentiation into two types of hemocytes, plasmatocytes and crystal cells, is confined to the outer layer (cortical zone) of the primary lobe; the center of the primary lobe (medullary zone), as well as the secondary lobes, contain only proliferating prohemocytes. A small cluster of cells located at the posterior tip of the primary lobe serves as a signaling center (PSC) that inhibits precocious differentiation of the medullary zone. The larval lymph gland is stabilized by layers of extracellular matrix (basement membranes) that surround individual hemocytes, groups of hemocytes, as well as the lymph gland as a whole. In this paper, we investigated the events shaping the lymph gland in the early pupa. The lymph gland dissociates and hemocytes disperse during the first 12 h after puparium formation (APF), leaving behind empty husks of basement membrane. Prior to lymph gland dissociation, cells of the medullary zone differentiate, expressing the early differentiation marker Peroxidasin (Pxn), as well as, in part, the late differentiation marker P1. Cells of the PSC spread throughout the pupal lymph gland prior to their dispersal. Cells of the secondary lobes undergo a rapid phase of proliferation that lasts until 8 h APF, followed by expression of Pxn and dispersal. These hemocytes do not express P1, indicating that they disperse prior to full maturation.

Distinct role of Hsp70 in Drosophila hemocytes during severe hypoxia

Severe hypoxia can lead to injury and mortality in vertebrate or invertebrate organisms. Our research is focused on understanding the molecular mechanisms that lead to injury or adaptation to hypoxic stress using Drosophila as a model system. In this study, we employed the UAS-Gal4 system to dissect the protective role of Hsp70 in specific tissues in vivo under severe hypoxia. In contrast to overexpression in tissues such as muscles, heart, and brain, we found that overexpression of Hsp70 in hemocytes of flies provides a remarkable survival benefit to flies exposed to severe hypoxia for days. Furthermore, these flies were tolerant not only to severe hypoxia but also to other stresses such as oxidant stress (e.g., paraquat feeding or hyperoxia). Interestingly we observed that the better survival with Hsp70 overexpression in hemocytes under hypoxia or oxidant stress is causally linked to reactive oxygen species (ROS) reduction in whole flies. We also show that hemocytes are a major source of ROS generation, leading to injury during hypoxia, and their elimination results in a better survival under hypoxia. Hence, our study identified a protective role for Hsp70 in Drosophila hemocytes, which is linked to ROS reduction in the whole flies and thus helps in their remarkable survival during oxidant or hypoxic stress.

Drosophila: a model for studying genetic and molecular aspects of haematopoiesis and associated leukaemias

Vertebrate haematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) give rise to a hierarchically organised set of progenitors for erythroid, myeloid, lymphoid and megakaryocyte lineages, and are responsible for lifelong maintenance of the blood system. Dysregulation of the haematopoietic differentiation programme is at the origin of numerous pathologies, including leukaemias. With the discoveries that many transcriptional regulators and signalling pathways controlling blood cell development are conserved between humans and Drosophila melanogaster, the fruit fly has become a good model for investigating the mechanisms underlying the generation of blood cell lineages and blood cell homeostasis. In this review article, we discuss how genetic and molecular studies of Drosophila haematopoiesis can contribute to our understanding of the haematopoietic niche, as well as of the origin and/or progression of haematopoietic malignancies in humans.

The convergence of Notch and MAPK signaling specifies the blood progenitor fate in the Drosophila mesoderm

Blood progenitors arise from a pool of pluripotential cells ("hemangioblasts") within the Drosophila embryonic mesoderm. The fact that the cardiogenic mesoderm consists of only a small number of highly stereotypically patterned cells that can be queried individually regarding their gene expression in normal and mutant embryos is one of the significant advantages that Drosophila offers to dissect the mechanism specifying the fate of these cells. We show in this paper that the expression of the Notch ligand Delta (Dl) reveals segmentally reiterated mesodermal clusters ("cardiogenic clusters") that constitute the cardiogenic mesoderm. These clusters give rise to cardioblasts, blood progenitors and nephrocytes. Cardioblasts emerging from the cardiogenic clusters accumulate high levels of Dl, which is required to prevent more cells from adopting the cardioblast fate. In embryos lacking Dl function, all cells of the cardiogenic clusters become cardioblasts, and blood progenitors are lacking. Concomitant activation of the Mitogen Activated Protein Kinase (MAPK) pathway by Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) and Fibroblast Growth Factor Receptor (FGFR) is required for the specification and maintenance of the cardiogenic mesoderm; in addition, the spatially restricted localization of some of the FGFR ligands may be instrumental in controlling the spatial restriction of the Dl ligand to presumptive cardioblasts.

Innate immune responses of Drosophila melanogaster are altered by spaceflight

Alterations and impairment of immune responses in humans present a health risk for space exploration missions. The molecular mechanisms underpinning innate immune defense can be confounded by the complexity of the acquired immune system of humans. Drosophila (fruit fly) innate immunity is simpler, and shares many similarities with human innate immunity at the level of molecular and genetic pathways. The goals of this study were to elucidate fundamental immune processes in Drosophila affected by spaceflight and to measure host-pathogen responses post-flight. Five containers, each containing ten female and five male fruit flies, were housed and bred on the space shuttle (average orbit altitude of 330.35 km) for 12 days and 18.5 hours. A new generation of flies was reared in microgravity. In larvae, the immune system was examined by analyzing plasmatocyte number and activity in culture. In adults, the induced immune responses were analyzed by bacterial clearance and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) of selected genes following infection with E. coli. The RNA levels of relevant immune pathway genes were determined in both larvae and adults by microarray analysis. The ability of larval plasmatocytes to phagocytose E. coli in culture was attenuated following spaceflight, and in parallel, the expression of genes involved in cell maturation was downregulated. In addition, the level of constitutive expression of pattern recognition receptors and opsonins that specifically recognize bacteria, and of lysozymes, antimicrobial peptide (AMP) pathway and immune stress genes, hallmarks of humoral immunity, were also reduced in larvae. In adults, the efficiency of bacterial clearance measured in vivo following a systemic infection with E. coli post-flight, remained robust. We show that spaceflight altered both cellular and humoral immune responses in Drosophila and that the disruption occurs at multiple interacting pathways.

Lineage tracing of lamellocytes demonstrates Drosophila macrophage plasticity

Leukocyte-like cells called hemocytes have key functions in Drosophila innate immunity. Three hemocyte types occur: plasmatocytes, crystal cells, and lamellocytes. In the absence of qimmune challenge, plasmatocytes are the predominant hemocyte type detected, while crystal cells and lamellocytes are rare. However, upon infestation by parasitic wasps, or in melanotic mutant strains, large numbers of lamellocytes differentiate and encapsulate material recognized as "non-self". Current models speculate that lamellocytes, plasmatocytes and crystal cells are distinct lineages that arise from a common prohemocyte progenitor. We show here that over-expression of the CoREST-interacting transcription factor Chn in plasmatocytes induces lamellocyte differentiation, both in circulation and in lymph glands. Lamellocyte increases are accompanied by the extinction of plasmatocyte markers suggesting that plasmatocytes are transformed into lamellocytes. Consistent with this, timed induction of Chn over-expression induces rapid lamellocyte differentiation within 18 hours. We detect double-positive intermediates between plasmatocytes and lamellocytes, and show that isolated plasmatocytes can be triggered to differentiate into lamellocytes in vitro, either in response to Chn over-expression, or following activation of the JAK/STAT pathway. Finally, we have marked plasmatocytes and show by lineage tracing that these differentiate into lamellocytes in response to the Drosophila parasite model Leptopilina boulardi. Taken together, our data suggest that lamellocytes arise from plasmatocytes and that plasmatocytes may be inherently plastic, possessing the ability to differentiate further into lamellocytes upon appropriate challenge.

Serpent, suppressor of hairless and U-shaped are crucial regulators of hedgehog niche expression and prohemocyte maintenance during Drosophila larval hematopoiesis

The lymph gland is a specialized organ for hematopoiesis, utilized during larval development in Drosophila. This tissue is composed of distinct cellular domains populated by blood cell progenitors (the medullary zone), niche cells that regulate the choice between progenitor quiescence and hemocyte differentiation [the posterior signaling center (PSC)], and mature blood cells of distinct lineages (the cortical zone). Cells of the PSC express the Hedgehog (Hh) signaling molecule, which instructs cells within the neighboring medullary zone to maintain a hematopoietic precursor state while preventing hemocyte differentiation. As a means to understand the regulatory mechanisms controlling Hh production, we characterized a PSC-active transcriptional enhancer that drives hh expression in supportive niche cells. Our findings indicate that a combination of positive and negative transcriptional inputs program the precise PSC expression of the instructive Hh signal. The GATA factor Serpent (Srp) is essential for hh activation in niche cells, whereas the Suppressor of Hairless [Su(H)] and U-shaped (Ush) transcriptional regulators prevent hh expression in blood cell progenitors and differentiated hemocytes. Furthermore, Srp function is required for the proper differentiation of niche cells. Phenotypic analyses also indicated that the normal activity of all three transcriptional regulators is essential for maintaining the progenitor population and preventing premature hemocyte differentiation. Together, these studies provide mechanistic insights into hh transcriptional regulation in hematopoietic progenitor niche cells, and demonstrate the requirement of the Srp, Su(H) and Ush proteins in the control of niche cell differentiation and blood cell precursor maintenance.