Gobert, V., Gottar, M., Matskevich, A.A., Rutschmann, S., Royet, J., Belvin, M., Hoffmann, J.A., Ferrandon, D. (2003). Dual activation of the Drosophila toll pathway by two pattern recognition receptors.  Science 302(5653): 2126--2130.

FBrf0168033

Research paper

The Toll-dependent defense against Gram-positive bacterial infections in Drosophila is mediated through the peptidoglycan recognition protein SA (PGRP-SA). A mutation termed osiris disrupts the Gram-negative binding protein 1 (GNBP1) gene and leads to compromised survival of mutant flies after Gram-positive infections, but not after fungal or Gram-negative bacterial challenge. Our results demonstrate that GNBP1 and PGRP-SA can jointly activate the Toll pathway. The potential for a combination of distinct proteins to mediate detection of infectious nonself in the fly will refine the concept of pattern recognition in insects.