Regulation and modulation of the innate immune response via neuronal and endocrine signals in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster

神经和内分泌递质调节包括免疫系统在内的各种生理功能。应激已被认为是影响这些高度复杂的相互关系的中心因素，从长远来看，这可能导致人类自身免疫性或慢性炎症性疾病的发病和加重。在这里，我建议使用果蝇作为体内模型，以研究神经和内分泌控制对先天性免疫系统的影响。首先，将确定影响先天免疫反应的压力因素。随后，神经和内分泌递质将被破译，这些递质将神经和内分泌信号传递给先天免疫系统的细胞。此外，将映射产生相应介体的单元。对神经内分泌-免疫串扰的更详细的分析将得到免疫细胞分子和细胞水平的机械分析的补充。由于人类和苍蝇的免疫系统在某些部分使用相同的递质和防御机制，简单组织的苍蝇是解决这些问题的理想模式生物。

Neuronal and endocrine transmitters modulate a variety of physiological functions including the immune system. Stress has been identified as a central factor influencing these highly complex interrelationships, which in long run may contribute to the pathogenesis and aggravation of autoimmune or chronic inflammatory diseases in humans. Here, I propose to use the fruit fly as an in-vivo model to investigate the impact of neuronal and endocrine control of the innate immune system. Initially, stress factors will be identified that affect the innate immune response. Subsequently, neuronal and endocrine transmitters will be deciphered that transfer neuronal and endocrine signals to cells of the innate immune system. Furthermore, the cells producing the respective mediators will be mapped. A more detailed analysis of the neuroendocrine-immune crosstalk will be supplemented by mechanistic analysis at the molecular and cellular level of immune cells. Since the immune system of both, human and fly, uses in parts the same transmitters and defence mechanisms, the simply organised fly represents an ideal model organism to address these questions.