Intestinal NF-κB and STAT signalling is important for uptake and clearance in a Drosophila-Herpetomonas interaction model

Abstract

ABSTRACTDipteran insects transmit diseases to humans, often in the form of trypanosomatid parasites. To accelerate research in more difficult contexts of dipteran-parasite relationships, we studied the interaction of the model dipteran Drosophila melanogaster and its natural trypanosomatid Herpetomonas muscarum. Parasite infection reduced fecundity but not lifespan in NF-κB/Relish-deficient flies. Gene expression analysis implicated the two NF-κB pathways Toll and Imd as well as STAT signalling. Tissue specific knockdown of key components of these pathways in enterocytes (ECs) and intestinal progenitor cells influenced initial numbers, infection dynamics and time of clearance. Herpetomonas triggered STAT activation and proliferation of Intestinal Stem Cells (ISCs). Loss of Relish suppressed the latter, resulting in increased parasite numbers and delayed clearance. Finally, loss of Toll signalling decreased EC numbers and enabled parasite persistence. This network of signalling may represent a general mechanism of the dipteran early response to trypanosomatids, crucial for parasite establishment and therefore transmission.AUTHOR SUMMARYNeglected Tropical Diseases are the most common diseases of the world’s poorest people. Many are caused by parasites called trypanosomatids that are transmitted to humans via insects belonging to the order of Diptera (also known as true flies). These flies (including tsetse, sand flies and black flies) are difficult to study in the lab and so the prospect of rapid progress in the basic biology of fly-parasite interaction is bleak. However, a model dipteran species with an extensive “tool-box” is the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster with its natural trypanosomatid Herpetomonas muscarum. Here we establish the framework of their early interaction with the view that part of this interaction will represent an evolutionary conserved component of the dipteran response to parasite infection and will inform more targeted studies into medically important but difficult to study Diptera.