Project description:The rapid evolution of toxin resistance in animals has important consequences for the ecology of species and our economy. Pesticide resistance in insects has been a subject of intensive study, however, very little is known about how Drosophila species became resistant to natural toxins with ecological relevance, such as α-amanitin that is produced in deadly poisonous mushrooms. Here we performed a microarray study to elucidate the genes, chromosomal loci, molecular functions, biological processes, and cellular components that contribute to the α-amanitin resistance phenotype in Drosophila melanogaster. We suggest that toxin entry blockage through the cuticle, phase I and II detoxification, sequestration in lipid particles, and proteolytic cleavage of α-amanitin contribute in concert to this quantitative trait. We speculate that the resistance to mushroom toxins in Drosophila melanogaster and perhaps in mycophagous Drosophila species has evolved as a cross-resistance to pesticides or other xenobiotic substances.
Project description:Respiratory innate immunity requires alveolar macrophages, which are specifically targeted by the S. aureus toxin alpha toxin. These data compare the response of alveolar macrophages to S. aureus with or without alpha toxin neutralization.