66 Oral - Immunity and Microbiome
Friday April 08, 8:30 AM - 8:45 AM

Authors:
Sophia Parks ¹; Susan Nguyen ¹; Daiki Fujinaga ²; Naoki Yamanaka ²; Adler Dillman ¹

Affiliations:
1) Department of Nematology, University of California, Riverside, California; 2) Department of Entomology, University of California, Riverside, California

Keywords:
c. innate immunity; q. inflammation

Eicosanoids are C20 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) derivatives that carry out many essential roles in mammalian and insect systems including development, reproduction, and immunity. Eicosanoids such as prostaglandins and leukotrienes are synthesized from arachidonic acid that is cleaved directly from the cell membrane. Insects, however, have been shown to have low levels of C20s in circulation and it has been hypothesized that eicosanoids are synthesized from C18 precursors such as linoleic acid. Here we show that D. melanogaster exhibits higher levels of C18s in the hemolymph and that these are depleted after a bacterial infection. These depleted oxylipinds as well as certain downstream prostaglandins are able to rescue the outcome of infection. This work identifies oxylipins that are involved in immunity and supports the notion that D. melanogaster utilizes immunostimulatory and immunosuppressive lipid signaling mechanisms to mitigate bacterial infections. Our understanding of immune signaling in the fly and its analogies to the mammalian system will allow for an even more detailed use as a model organism in immune studies.