Research OverviewInnate Immune Response Innate immunity refers to the general and nonspecific ways that organisms defend themselves against infections by foreign organisms. Adaptive immunity, on the other hand, refers to more specific recognition systems, such as antibody-producing cells. Drosophila as a Model Organism Drosophila melanogaster, commonly referred to as the fruit fly, has for decades provided a wealth of biological information, made possible in part because of its ease of genetic manipulation and characterization in the laboratory. | Research DescriptionResearch Areas: Pathobiology, Genome Sciences Research Specialties: Host defense against pathogens; signal transduction and cell-cell signaling in the innate immune response in insects The first line of defense against infection in all animals is the innate immune response. Innate immunity relies on the broad recognition of non-self characteristics of pathogens and the induction of effector mechanisms that will dispose of the pathogens. The ability to recognize general features of foreign microbes distinguishes it from adaptive immunity, which selects for specific antibodies or receptors to mediate its response. The innate and adaptive immune systems converge in their use of common effector mechanisms, e.g., complement, phagocytosis, and cytolytic factors. The innate immune response may also be important to prime the adaptive immune response for an effective response...
Complete Information... |
Representative PublicationsPal, S., J. Wu, L. Wu. Microarray analyses reveal distinct roles for Rel proteins in the Drosophila immune response. Dev. Comp. Immunology, in press (2007). Pal, S., R. St.Leger, L. Wu. Fungal peptide Destruxin A plays a specific role in suppressing the innate immune response in Drosophila melanogaster. JBC 282(12): 8969-8977 (2007). Wu, J., K. Randle, L. Wu. Innate immune responses are linked to the detection of nutritional state in Drosophila melanogaster. Cellular Microbiology, 9(4): 1073-1085 (2007). Complete Listing... |
