Innate and behavioral immunity
The Schlenke lab, 53rd Annual Drosophila Research Conference, Chicago, IL.
Parasitoid wasp infecting Drosophila larva by Alex Wild
As an undergraduate student at Emory University, under the mentorship of Dr. Nathan Mortimer (https://about.illinoisstate.edu/ntmorti/pages/default.aspx) and Todd Schlenke (https://cals.arizona.edu/research/schlenke/index.html), I studied the physiological and behavioral immune response of Drosophila melanogaster (fruit fly) and other Drosophilids in the genus Drosophila in response to predatory wasps. We uncovered physiological mechanisms of Drosophila larvae allowing successful immune responses in addition to uncovering novel wasp venom components. We also uncovered multiple unique behavioral responses of adult Drosophila to the predatory wasps.
Image of wasp by Alexander Wild (https://www.alexanderwild.com/)
Schlenke Lab at the Chicago Bean at Drosophila Conference
What We've Achieved
2014 Kacsoh BZ, Bozler J, Schlenke TA (2014) A role for nematocytes in the cellular immune response of the Drosophilid Zaprionus indianus. Parasitology. Apr;141(5):697-715. doi: 10.1017/S0031182013001431. PMID: 24476764
2013 Mortimer NT, Goecks J, Kacsoh BZ, Mobley JA, Bowersock GJ, Taylor J, Schlenke TA (2013) Parasitoid wasp venom SERCA regulates Drosophila calcium levels and inhibits cellular immunity. PNAS 110, doi: 9427- 9432 10.1073/pnas.1222351110. PMID: 23690612
2013 Kacsoh BZ, Lynch ZR, Mortimer NT, Schlenke TA (2013) Fruit Flies Medicate Offspring After Seeing Parasites. Science, 2013; 339 (6122): 947 doi: 10.1126/science.1229625. PMID: 23430653
2012 Kacsoh BZ, Schlenke TA (2012) High hemocyte load is associated with increased resistance against parasitoids in Drosophila suzukii, a relative of D. melanogaster. PLoS One 7:e34721. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0034721. PMID: 22529929
2012 Milan N*, Kacsoh BZ*, Schlenke TA (2012) Alcohol consumption as self-medication against blood-borne parasites in the fruitfly. Current Biology 22:488-493. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2012.01.045. PMID: 22342747
2012 Mortimer NT, Kacsoh BZ, Keebaugh ES, Schlenke TA (2012) Mgat1-dependent N-glycosylation of membrane components primes Drosophila melanogaster blood cells for the cellular encapsulation response. PLoS Pathogens, 8:e1002819. doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1002819. PMID: 22829770
2012 Lefèvre T, de Roode JC, Kacsoh BZ, Schlenke TA (2012) Defence strategies against a parasitoid wasp in Drosophila: fight or flight? Biol Lett. 8(2):230-3. Epub 2011 Aug 24. doi: 10.1098/rsbl.2011.0725. PMID: 21865240