Abstract
Yersinia pestis has acquired a variety of complex strategies that enable the bacterium to overcome defenses in different hosts and ensure its survival and successful transmission. A full-genome microarray analysis on Caenorhabditis elegans infected with Y. pestis shows enrichment in genes that are markers of innate immune responses and regulated by a conserved PMK-1/p38 MAPK. Consistent with a role in regulating expression of immune effectors, inhibition of PMK-1/p38 by mutation or RNA interference enhances susceptibility to Y. pestis. Further studies of mosaic animals where PMK-1/p38 is exclusively inhibited or overexpressed in a tissue-specific manner indicate that PMK-1/p38 controls expression of a CUB-like family of immune genes at the cell-autonomous level. Given the conserved nature of PMK-1/p38 MAPK-mediated signaling and innate immune responses, PMK-1/p38 MAPK may play a role in the immune response against Y. pestis in natural hosts.
Publication types
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Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
MeSH terms
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Animals
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Animals, Genetically Modified
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Biomarkers / metabolism
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Blotting, Western
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Caenorhabditis elegans / growth & development
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Caenorhabditis elegans / immunology*
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Caenorhabditis elegans / microbiology*
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Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / genetics
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Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / metabolism*
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Flow Cytometry
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Gene Expression Profiling
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Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases / genetics
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Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases / metabolism*
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Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis
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Plague / immunology*
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Plague / microbiology
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RNA, Messenger / genetics
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RNA, Messenger / metabolism
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Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
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Yersinia pestis / pathogenicity*
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p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases / genetics
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p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases / metabolism*
Substances
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Biomarkers
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Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins
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RNA, Messenger
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Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases
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Pmk-1 protein, C elegans
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p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases