Project description:We report the transcriptional profiles from individual Drosophila melanogaster (whole bodies or dissected brains) to Entomophthora muscae at 24 time points following fungal exposure. In whole fruit fly bodies, a significant immune response is observed following exposure to the fungus. In brains, few differences are consistently observed between infected and uninfected animals.
Project description:Transcriptome of the entomopathogenic fungus, Entomophthora muscae, during behavioural manipulation of ‘zombie’-flies (Musca domestica)
Project description:We found substantial variation in resistance to the fly-specific pathogen Entomophthora muscae 'Berkeley' (Entomophthoromycota), in 20 lines from the Drosophila melanogaster Genetic Reference Panel (DGRP). Resistance to E. muscae is positively (r = 0.55) correlated with resistance to the broad host range ascomycete entomopathogen Metarhizium anisopliae (Ma549), indicative of generalist (non-specific) defenses. Most of the lines showing above average resistance to Ma549 showed cross-resistance to E. muscae. However, lines that succumbed quickly to Ma549 exhibited the full range of resistance to E. muscae. This suggests fly populations differ in E. muscae-specific resistance mechanisms as well as generic defences effective against both Ma549 and E. muscae. We looked for trade-offs that could account for inter-line variation, but increases (decreases) in disease resistance to E. muscae are not consistently associated with increases (decreases) of resistance to oxidative stress, starvation stress and sleep indices. That these pathogens are dynamic agents of selection on hosts is reflected in this genetic variation for resistance in lines derived from wild populations.