spz spatzle [Drosophila melanogaster (fruit fly)] - Gene

Summary

Official Symbol: spzprovided by FlyBase
Official Full Name: spatzleprovided by FlyBase
Primary source: FLYBASE:FBgn0003495
Locus tag: Dmel_CG6134
See related: AllianceGenome:FB:FBgn0003495
Gene type: protein coding
RefSeq status: REVIEWED
Organism: Drosophila melanogaster
Lineage: Eukaryota; Metazoa; Ecdysozoa; Arthropoda; Hexapoda; Insecta; Pterygota; Neoptera; Endopterygota; Diptera; Brachycera; Muscomorpha; Ephydroidea; Drosophilidae; Drosophila; Sophophora
Also known as: CG6134; CT19282; Dmel\CG6134; mel(3)7; Spatzle; Spz; SPZ; Spz-1; Spz1
Summary: Enables Toll binding activity; growth factor activity; and protein homodimerization activity. Involved in several processes, including Toll signaling pathway; defense response to other organism; and positive regulation of antimicrobial peptide biosynthetic process. Located in extracellular space. Is expressed in several structures, including A1-7 lateral transverse muscle cell; embryonic/larval hemocyte; gut section; ovary; and ventral midline of embryo. [provided by Alliance of Genome Resources, Apr 2025]
Orthologs: all
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Genomic context

Location:: 97E1-97E1; 3-92 cM

Exon count:: 8

Annotation release	Status	Assembly	Chr	Location
Release 6.54	current	Release 6 plus ISO1 MT (GCF_000001215.4)	3R	NT_033777.3 (27064990..27070070, complement)
Release 5.57	previous assembly	Release 5 (GCF_000001215.2)	3R	NT_033777.2 (22890712..22895792, complement)

Chromosome 3R - NT_033777.3 Genomic Context describing neighboring genes

Genomic regions, transcripts, and products

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Genomic Sequence:

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Bibliography

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GeneRIFs: Gene References Into Functions

What's a GeneRIF?

Spaetzle morphogen shuttling in the Drosophila embryo shapes gastrulation patterning
Title: Dynamics of Spaetzle morphogen shuttling in the Drosophila embryo shapes gastrulation patterning.
Toll-6 and Spz are a new pair of guidance molecules mediating organ-specific metastatic behavior.
Title: Spz/Toll-6 signal guides organotropic metastasis in Drosophila.
Data suggest that Spz functions with neuron-type specificity at the muscle 4 NMJ, and DNT1 and DNT2 function together at the muscles 6,7 NMJ.
Title: Neuron-type specific functions of DNT1, DNT2 and Spz at the Drosophila neuromuscular junction.
The crystal structure of a 1:1 (nonsignaling) complex of the full-length Toll receptor ectodomain (ECD) with the Spatzle cystine knot domain dimer, is reported.
Title: Structure of the Toll-Spatzle complex, a molecular hub in Drosophila development and innate immunity.
The asymmetric binding mode of Spz to Toll is similar to that of nerve growth factor (NGF) in complex with the p75 neurotrophin receptor but is distinct from that of microbial ligands bound to the Toll-like receptors.
Title: Cytokine Spatzle binds to the Drosophila immunoreceptor Toll with a neurotrophin-like specificity and couples receptor activation.
These results suggest a novel function of retromer in regulating Toll pathway and innate immunity at a step that modulates ligand processing or activity.
Title: Retromer promotes immune quiescence by suppressing Spätzle-Toll pathway in Drosophila.
The study reports the expression and refolding of Easter, and show that the renatured enzyme performs the activation cleavage of two spatzle isoforms.
Title: In vitro maturation of Drosophila melanogaster Spätzle protein with refolded Easter reveals a novel cleavage site within the prodomain.
the Spatzle prodomain masks a predominantly hydrophobic region of Spatzle and proteolysis causes a conformational change that exposes determinants that are critical for binding to the Toll receptor
Title: Molecular mechanism that induces activation of Spätzle, the ligand for the Drosophila Toll receptor.
Expression of the AMP gene drosomycin (a Toll target) was blocked when expression of the Toll ligand Spatzle was knocked down in haemocytes.
Title: Toll-dependent antimicrobial responses in Drosophila larval fat body require Spätzle secreted by haemocytes.
Sites within the Spatzle protein have been associated with binding to the Toll receptor.
Title: Evolutionary and functional epitopes of the Spätzle protein: new insights into activation of the Toll receptor.

Submit: New GeneRIF Correction See all GeneRIFs (14)

Pathways from PubChem

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Interactions

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Products	Interactant	Other Gene	Complex	Source	Pubs	Description

General gene information

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Homology

NCBI Orthologs

Orthologs from OrthoDB

Gene Ontology Provided by FlyBase

Function	Evidence Code	Pubs
enables Toll binding	IBA Inferred from Biological aspect of Ancestor more info
enables Toll binding	IDA Inferred from Direct Assay more info	PubMed
enables Toll binding	IPI Inferred from Physical Interaction more info	PubMed
enables cytokine activity	TAS Traceable Author Statement more info	PubMed
enables growth factor activity	IBA Inferred from Biological aspect of Ancestor more info
enables growth factor activity	IMP Inferred from Mutant Phenotype more info	PubMed
enables protein homodimerization activity	IDA Inferred from Direct Assay more info	PubMed
enables receptor ligand activity	IDA Inferred from Direct Assay more info	PubMed

Process	Evidence Code	Pubs
involved_in Toll signaling pathway	IDA Inferred from Direct Assay more info	PubMed
involved_in Toll signaling pathway	IGI Inferred from Genetic Interaction more info	PubMed
involved_in Toll signaling pathway	IMP Inferred from Mutant Phenotype more info	PubMed
involved_in Toll signaling pathway	NAS Non-traceable Author Statement more info	PubMed
involved_in antifungal innate immune response	IDA Inferred from Direct Assay more info	PubMed
involved_in antifungal innate immune response	IMP Inferred from Mutant Phenotype more info	PubMed
involved_in cell competition in a multicellular organism	IMP Inferred from Mutant Phenotype more info	PubMed
involved_in central nervous system formation	IBA Inferred from Biological aspect of Ancestor more info
involved_in defense response to Gram-negative bacterium	IMP Inferred from Mutant Phenotype more info	PubMed
involved_in defense response to Gram-positive bacterium	IDA Inferred from Direct Assay more info	PubMed
involved_in defense response to Gram-positive bacterium	IMP Inferred from Mutant Phenotype more info	PubMed
involved_in defense response to fungus	IMP Inferred from Mutant Phenotype more info	PubMed
involved_in dorsal/ventral axis specification	IDA Inferred from Direct Assay more info	PubMed
involved_in dorsal/ventral axis specification	IGI Inferred from Genetic Interaction more info	PubMed
involved_in dorsal/ventral pattern formation	IDA Inferred from Direct Assay more info	PubMed
involved_in innate immune response	IBA Inferred from Biological aspect of Ancestor more info
involved_in innate immune response	IDA Inferred from Direct Assay more info	PubMed
involved_in innate immune response	IMP Inferred from Mutant Phenotype more info	PubMed
involved_in larval somatic muscle development	IMP Inferred from Mutant Phenotype more info	PubMed
involved_in motor neuron axon guidance	IMP Inferred from Mutant Phenotype more info	PubMed
involved_in negative regulation of neuron apoptotic process	IMP Inferred from Mutant Phenotype more info	PubMed
involved_in oocyte dorsal/ventral axis specification	IEP Inferred from Expression Pattern more info	PubMed
involved_in positive regulation of antifungal peptide biosynthetic process	IMP Inferred from Mutant Phenotype more info	PubMed
involved_in positive regulation of antifungal peptide production	IMP Inferred from Mutant Phenotype more info	PubMed
involved_in positive regulation of antimicrobial peptide biosynthetic process	IDA Inferred from Direct Assay more info	PubMed
involved_in positive regulation of antimicrobial peptide production	IGI Inferred from Genetic Interaction more info	PubMed
involved_in positive regulation of biosynthetic process of antibacterial peptides active against Gram-positive bacteria	IMP Inferred from Mutant Phenotype more info	PubMed
acts_upstream_of positive regulation of gene expression	IMP Inferred from Mutant Phenotype more info	PubMed
involved_in response to hydrogen peroxide	IDA Inferred from Direct Assay more info	PubMed
involved_in response to tumor cell	IMP Inferred from Mutant Phenotype more info	PubMed
involved_in response to wounding	IEP Inferred from Expression Pattern more info	PubMed

Component	Evidence Code	Pubs
is_active_in extracellular region	IBA Inferred from Biological aspect of Ancestor more info
located_in extracellular region	IDA Inferred from Direct Assay more info	PubMed
located_in extracellular space	IDA Inferred from Direct Assay more info	PubMed

General protein information

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Preferred Names: spatzle

Names: CG6134-PA; CG6134-PB; CG6134-PC; CG6134-PD; CG6134-PI; CG6134-PJ; CG6134-PK; CG6134-PL; protein spaetzle precursor; spaetzle; spazle; spaztle; spz-PA; spz-PB; spz-PC; spz-PD; spz-PI; spz-PJ; spz-PK; spz-PL