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- Dantoft, Widad, 1982-
(författare)
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Role of POU/Oct transcription factors in Drosophila immunity
- 2014
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- In response to infection, Drosophila melanogaster relies on the ability to mount a robust and potent innate immune response, characterized by induction of cellular and humoral processes. While rapid immune induction is of utmost importance, it is equally important to restrict and repress immune gene expression, where and when it is not needed. The aim of my studies was to elucidate the in vivo role of the Oct1/POU2F1 homolog Nubbin (Nub), an evolutionarily conserved transcription factor, in innate immunity.The transcription factor Nub-PD, a product of the nub gene, was studied in wild type and mutant (nub1) flies, as well as in transgenic flies that either overexpress or down-regulate Nub-PD. Infection-studies were conducted after both oral and septic infection. Expression analysis of target genes using quantitative mRNA measurements and microarray analysis of wild type and nub1, reveal that Nub-PD acts as a bona fide repressor of NF-κB/Relish-dependent expression of immune defense genes, e.g. antimicrobial peptides. I show that Nub-PD represses transcription in uninfected flies by binding to oct DNA sequence motifs located upstream of a number of immune genes. In the event of infection, repression by Nub-PD is alleviated through rapid signal-dependent degradation, in a proteasome- and Imd-dependent manner, allowing initiation of antimicrobial peptide gene expression in both fat body and intestine. Lastly, we show that nub1 mutants also exhibit a shortened lifespan as well as elevated loads of gut bacteria with altered composition. We suggest that the aberrant immune gene activation, elevated bacterial loads, and altered bacterial composition in nub1 can collectively explain the shortened lifespan.In conclusion, this work reveals a novel function of Nub-PD as a negative regulator of immune and stress response genes in vivo. Furthermore, my work sheds light on the importance of Nub-PD in host survival and in supporting a balanced composition of the gut microbiota.
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| 2. |
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| 3. |
- Dantoft, Widad, et al.
(författare)
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The Oct1 homolog Nubbin is a repressor of NF-kappa B-dependent immune gene expression that increases the tolerance to gut microbiota
- 2013
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Ingår i: BMC Biology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1741-7007. ; 11
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Innate immune responses are evolutionarily conserved processes that provide crucial protection against invading organisms. Gene activation by potent NF-kappa B transcription factors is essential both in mammals and Drosophila during infection and stress challenges. If not strictly controlled, this potent defense system can activate autoimmune and inflammatory stress reactions, with deleterious consequences for the organism. Negative regulation to prevent gene activation in healthy organisms, in the presence of the commensal gut flora, is however not well understood. Results: We show that the Drosophila homolog of mammalian Oct1/POU2F1 transcription factor, called Nubbin (Nub), is a repressor of NF-kappa B/Relish-driven antimicrobial peptide gene expression in flies. In nub(1) mutants, which lack Nub-PD protein, excessive expression of antimicrobial peptide genes occurs in the absence of infection, leading to a significant reduction of the numbers of cultivatable gut commensal bacteria. This aberrant immune gene expression was effectively blocked by expression of Nub from a transgene. We have identified an upstream regulatory region, containing a cluster of octamer sites, which is required for repression of antimicrobial peptide gene expression in healthy flies. Chromatin immunoprecipitation experiments demonstrated that Nub binds to octamer-containing promoter fragments of several immune genes. Gene expression profiling revealed that Drosophila Nub negatively regulates many genes that are involved in immune and stress responses, while it is a positive regulator of genes involved in differentiation and metabolism. Conclusions: This study demonstrates that a large number of genes that are activated by NF-kappa B/Relish in response to infection are normally repressed by the evolutionarily conserved Oct/POU transcription factor Nub. This prevents uncontrolled gene activation and supports the existence of a normal gut flora. We suggest that Nub protein plays an ancient role, shared with mammalian Oct/POU transcription factors, to moderate responses to immune challenge, thereby increasing the tolerance to biotic stress.
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| 5. |
- Dantoft, Widad, et al.
(författare)
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The POU/Oct Transcription Factor Pdm1/nub Is Necessary for a Beneficial Gut Microbiota and Normal Lifespan of Drosophila
- 2016
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Ingår i: Journal of Innate Immunity. - : S. Karger AG. - 1662-811X .- 1662-8128. ; 8:4, s. 412-426
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Maintenance of a stable gut microbial community relies on a delicate balance between immune defense and immune tolerance. We have used Drosophila to study how the microbial gut flora is affected by changes in host genetic factors and immunity. Flies with a constitutively active gut immune system, due to a mutation in the POU transcriptional regulator Pdm1/nubbin (nub) gene, had higher loads of bacteria and a more diverse taxonomic composition than controls. In addition, the microbial composition shifted considerably during the short lifespan of the nub1 mutants. This shift was characterized by a loss of relatively few OTUs (operational taxonomic units) and a remarkable increase in a large number of Acetobacter spp. and Leuconostoc spp. Treating nub1 mutant flies with antibiotics prolonged their lifetime survival by more than 100%. Immune gene expression was also persistently high in the presence of antibiotics, indicating that the early death was not a direct consequence of an overactive immune defense but rather an indirect consequence of the microbial load and composition. Thus, changes in host genotype and an inability to regulate the normal growth and composition of the gut microbiota leads to a shift in the microbial community, dysbiosis and early death.
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| 6. |
- Eberle, Andrea B., et al.
(författare)
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Splice-Site Mutations Cause Rrp6-Mediated Nuclear Retention of the Unspliced RNAs and Transcriptional Down-Regulation of the Splicing-Defective Genes
- 2010
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Ingår i: PLOS ONE. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 5:7, s. e11540-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Eukaryotic cells have developed surveillance mechanisms to prevent the expression of aberrant transcripts. An early surveillance checkpoint acts at the transcription site and prevents the release of mRNAs that carry processing defects. The exosome subunit Rrp6 is required for this checkpoint in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, but it is not known whether Rrp6 also plays a role in mRNA surveillance in higher eukaryotes.Methodology/Principal Findings: We have developed an in vivo system to study nuclear mRNA surveillance in Drosophila melanogaster. We have produced S2 cells that express a human β-globin gene with mutated splice sites in intron 2 (mut β-globin). The transcripts encoded by the mut β-globin gene are normally spliced at intron 1 but retain intron 2. The levels of the mut β-globin transcripts are much lower than those of wild type (wt) ß-globin mRNAs transcribed from the same promoter. We have compared the expression of the mut and wt β-globin genes to investigate the mechanisms that down-regulate the production of defective mRNAs. Both wt and mut β-globin transcripts are processed at the 3′, but the mut β-globin transcripts are less efficiently cleaved than the wt transcripts. Moreover, the mut β-globin transcripts are less efficiently released from the transcription site, as shown by FISH, and this defect is restored by depletion of Rrp6 by RNAi. Furthermore, transcription of the mut β-globin gene is significantly impaired as revealed by ChIP experiments that measure the association of the RNA polymerase II with the transcribed genes. We have also shown that the mut β-globin gene shows reduced levels of H3K4me3.Conclusions/Significance: Our results show that there are at least two surveillance responses that operate cotranscriptionally in insect cells and probably in all metazoans. One response requires Rrp6 and results in the inefficient release of defective mRNAs from the transcription site. The other response acts at the transcription level and reduces the synthesis of the defective transcripts through a mechanism that involves histone modifications.
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| 7. |
- Lindberg, Bo G., et al.
(författare)
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Nubbin isoform antagonism governs Drosophila intestinal immune homeostasis
- 2018
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Ingår i: PLoS Pathogens. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1553-7366 .- 1553-7374. ; 14:3
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Gut immunity is regulated by intricate and dynamic mechanisms to ensure homeostasis despite a constantly changing microbial environment. Several regulatory factors have been described to participate in feedback responses to prevent aberrant immune activity. Little is, however, known about how transcriptional programs are directly tuned to efficiently adapt host gut tissues to the current microbiome. Here we show that the POU/Oct gene nubbin (nub) encodes two transcription factor isoforms, Nub-PB and Nub-PD, which antagonistically regulate immune gene expression in Drosophila. Global transcriptional profiling of adult flies overexpressing Nub-PB in immunocompetent tissues revealed that this form is a strong transcriptional activator of a large set of immune genes. Further genetic analyses showed that Nub-PB is sufficient to drive expression both independently and in conjunction with nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB), JNK and JAK/STAT pathways. Similar overexpression of Nub-PD did, conversely, repress expression of the same targets. Strikingly, isoform co-overexpression normalized immune gene transcription, suggesting antagonistic activities. RNAi-mediated knockdown of individual nub transcripts in enterocytes confirmed antagonistic regulation by the two isoforms and that both are necessary for normal immune gene transcription in the midgut. Furthermore, enterocyte-specific Nub-PB expression levels had a strong impact on gut bacterial load as well as host lifespan. Overexpression of Nub-PB enhanced bacterial clearance of ingested Erwinia carotovora carotovora 15. Nevertheless, flies quickly succumbed to the infection, suggesting a deleterious immune response. In line with this, prolonged overexpression promoted a proinflammatory signature in the gut with induction of JNK and JAK/STAT pathways, increased apoptosis and stem cell proliferation. These findings highlight a novel regulatory mechanism of host-microbe interactions mediated by antagonistic transcription factor isoforms.
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