Eur. J. Entomol. 92 (1): 203-209, 1995
Developmental variability of the antibacterial response in larvae and pupae of Calliphora vicina (Diptera: Calliphoridae) and Drosophila melanogaster (Diptera: Drosophilidae)
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The inducibility of antibacterial peptides in Calliphora is strongly reduced during pupal development. Similarly, a downregulation of the inducibility of a diptericin reporter transgene is observed in the pupae of transgenic Drosophila, indicating existence of a negative correlation between inducibility and ecdysteroid titre. In the present paper we show that the level of antibacterial activity induced by the injection of bacteria into the diapausing larvae of Calliphora is reduced if the insects simultaneously receive 20-hydroxyecdysone. The same effect is observed in ligated Calliphora larvae deprived of their brain-retrocerebral complex. The data suggest that at certain developmental stages ecdysteroids downregulate the induced antibacterial defense.
Keywords: Insect immunity, antibacterial peptides, pupal development, ecdysteroids, Calliphora, Drosophila
Accepted: January 3, 1995; Published: February 24, 1995 Show citation
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