During times of energy shortage or stress, it is crucial to maintain immune defenses against opportunistic pathogens. In all species, innate immunity is the primary line of defense in barrier tissues. However, it is unclear how nutritional states influence innate immune responses. Becker et al. discovered that, when energy levels are low, the forkhead transcription factor FOXO directly upregulates antimicrobial peptides (AMP). FOXO is an important regulator of metabolism, stress resistance and aging, and elevates AMP production. AMPs destroy pathogens by perforating their cell walls or by binding to proteins that pathogens need to survive. In non-infected Drosophila, AMP induction is lost in foxo null mutants, but enhanced with FOXO overexpression. Additionally, FOXO is sufficient to induce AMP genes in immunocompromised mutant flies. Researchers also found that FOXO-dependent AMP regulation is evolutionarily conserved in humans. This novel discovery elucidates a mechanism by which an organism can maintain and strengthen its primary defense, especially during times of nutrient deprivation.
DMM Journal Meeting 2023: Infectious Diseases Through an Evolutionary Lens
The abstract submission deadline for our 2023 Journal Meeting ‘Infectious Diseases Through an Evolutionary Lens’ is 14 July 2023. Find out more and register here.
The Forest of Biologists
The Forest of Biologists is a biodiversity initiative created by The Company of Biologists, with support from the Woodland Trust. For every Research and Review article published in Disease Models & Mechanisms a native tree is planted in a UK forest. In addition to this we are protecting and restoring ancient woodland and are dedicating these trees to our peer reviewers. Visit our virtual forest to learn more.
Propose a new Workshop for 2025
Do you have an idea for a Workshop? If so, click here. We are now accepting proposals for our 2025 Workshops programme. As the scientific organiser, your involvement will be focused on the science. We'll take care of all the logistics. In 2025 we'll continue our efforts to diversify our Workshop programme and will be reserving one of our Workshops for an application from a Global South country to host an event overseas.
How stromal cells restrict liver cancer invasion
In our recent editor’s choice, Liqin Zhu and colleagues describe how they used in vitro liver spheroid models consisting of both parenchymal and non-parenchymal cells to reveal a hepatoprotective role for peritumoral hepatic stellate cells in liver tumorigenesis.
And from perspective… Hacking haematopoiesis – emerging tools for examining variant effects
Thousands of genomic loci have been linked to hematopoietic traits and diseases, yet many await functional validation. Michael Gundry and Vijay G. Sankaran discuss recent advances in genome editing and the challenges associated with using these techniques to assess variant function in primary hematopoietic cells.
Social media
