Reference Report

Reference
Citation	Boulanger, N., Munks, R.J.L., Hamilton, J.V., Vovelle, F., Brun, R., Lehane, M.J., Bulet, P. (2002). Epithelial innate immunity. A novel antimicrobual peptide with antiparasitic activity in the blood-sucking insect Stomoxys calcitrans. J. Biol. Chem. 277(51): 49921--49926. (Export to RIS)
FlyBase ID	FBrf0159776
Publication Type	Research paper
PubMed ID	12372834
PubMed Abstract	The gut epithelium is an essential interface in insects that transmit parasites. We investigated the role that local innate immunity might have on vector competence, taking Stomoxys calcitrans as a model. S. calcitrans is sympatric with tsetse flies, feeds on many of the same vertebrate hosts, and is thus regularly exposed to the trypanosomes that cause African sleeping sickness and nagana. Despite this, S. calcitrans is not a cyclical vector of these trypanosomes. Trypanosomes develop exclusively in the lumen of digestive organs, and so epithelial immune mechanisms, and in particular antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), may be the prime determinants of the fate of an infection. To investigate why S. calcitrans is not a cyclical vector of trypanosomes, we have looked in its midgut for AMPs with trypanolytic activity. We have identified a new AMP of 42 amino acids, which we named stomoxyn, constitutively expressed and secreted exclusively in the anterior midgut of S. calcitrans. It displays an amphipathic helical structure and exhibits a broad activity spectrum affecting the growth of microorganisms. Interestingly, this AMP exhibits trypanolytic activity to Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense. We argue that stomoxyn may help to explain why S. calcitrans is not a vector of trypanosomes causing African sleeping sickness and nagana.
DOI
Related Publication(s)
Recent Updates
Description	What does this section display? This section contains items that were added to this record for each release. It currently only tracks new links between this FlyBase report and other FlyBase data classes (e.g. genes, references, stocks) or controlled vocabulary terms (e.g. GO, anatomy terms). What does this section not display? This section does not currently display links that were removed or gene model changes.
Update Feed	Click the icon below to subscribe to this FlyBase record and receive updates automatically through your feed reader.
FB2013_03
FB2013_02
All updates	Click here to see a list of all updates to this record from FB2010_08 and on.
Associated Information
Comments
Associated Files
Other Information
Secondary IDs
Language of Publication	English
Additional Languages of Abstract
Also Published As
Parent Publication
Publication Type	Journal
Abbreviation	J. Biol. Chem.
Title	Journal of Biological Chemistry
Publication Year	1905-
ISBN/ISSN	0021-9258
Data from Reference
Genes (2)
	CecA1 CecA2