In:
PLOS Pathogens, Public Library of Science (PLoS), Vol. 17, No. 4 ( 2021-4-1), p. e1009454-
Kurzfassung:
In C . elegans , 283 clec genes encode a highly diverse family of C-type lectin-like domain (CTLD) proteins. Since vertebrate CTLD proteins have characterized functions in defense responses against pathogens and since expression of C . elegans clec genes is pathogen-dependent, it is generally assumed that clec genes function in C . elegans immune defenses. However, little is known about the relative contribution and exact function of CLEC proteins in C . elegans immunity. Here, we focused on the C . elegans clec gene clec-4 , whose expression is highly upregulated by pathogen infection, and its paralogs clec-41 and clec-42 . We found that, while mutation of clec-4 resulted in enhanced resistance to the Gram-positive pathogen Bacillus thuringiensis MYBt18247 (Bt247), inactivation of clec-41 and clec-42 by RNAi enhanced susceptibility to Bt247. Further analyses revealed that enhanced resistance of clec-4 mutants to Bt247 was due to an increase in feeding cessation on the pathogen and consequently a decrease in pathogen load. Moreover, clec-4 mutants exhibited feeding deficits also on non-pathogenic bacteria that were in part reflected in the clec-4 gene expression profile, which overlapped with gene sets affected by starvation or mutation in nutrient sensing pathways. However, loss of CLEC-4 function only mildly affected life-history traits such as fertility, indicating that clec-4 mutants are not subjected to dietary restriction. While CLEC-4 function appears to be associated with the regulation of feeding behavior, we show that CLEC-41 and CLEC-42 proteins likely function as bona fide immune effector proteins that have bacterial binding and antimicrobial capacities. Together, our results exemplify functional diversification within clec gene paralogs.
Materialart:
Online-Ressource
ISSN:
1553-7374
DOI:
10.1371/journal.ppat.1009454
DOI:
10.1371/journal.ppat.1009454.g001
DOI:
10.1371/journal.ppat.1009454.g002
DOI:
10.1371/journal.ppat.1009454.g003
DOI:
10.1371/journal.ppat.1009454.g004
DOI:
10.1371/journal.ppat.1009454.g005
DOI:
10.1371/journal.ppat.1009454.g006
DOI:
10.1371/journal.ppat.1009454.g007
DOI:
10.1371/journal.ppat.1009454.s001
DOI:
10.1371/journal.ppat.1009454.s002
DOI:
10.1371/journal.ppat.1009454.s003
DOI:
10.1371/journal.ppat.1009454.s004
DOI:
10.1371/journal.ppat.1009454.s005
DOI:
10.1371/journal.ppat.1009454.s006
DOI:
10.1371/journal.ppat.1009454.s007
DOI:
10.1371/journal.ppat.1009454.s008
DOI:
10.1371/journal.ppat.1009454.s009
DOI:
10.1371/journal.ppat.1009454.s010
DOI:
10.1371/journal.ppat.1009454.s011
Sprache:
Englisch
Verlag:
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Publikationsdatum:
2021
ZDB Id:
2205412-1