REACTIVE OXYGEN SPECIES AND DROSOPHILA IMMUNITY

描述（改编自申请人的摘要）：折磨人类和其他动物的一些最使人衰弱的疾病是由昆虫引起的或由昆虫传播的。昆虫的寄主-寄生物关系是相当复杂的适应性整合.关于昆虫用来识别外来物和对抗这些感染的机制知之甚少。拟议研究的长期目标是鉴定昆虫血细胞（血细胞）在免疫攻击过程中产生的细胞毒性分子，并阐明这些物质特异性靶向和破坏侵入宿主体腔的生物体的机制。拟议的研究的主要重点涉及血细胞NADPH氧化酶和诱导型一氧化氮合酶（iNOS）的参与，因为这些酶是必不可少的，不仅为活化的血细胞产生细胞毒性活性氧，但也为成功的主机封装反应所需的细胞内和协作细胞-细胞信号。

DESCRIPTION (Adapted from the Applicant's Abstract): Some of the most debilitating diseases afflicting humans and other animals are either caused by insects or are vectored by them. Insect host- parasite relationships are integrating adaptations of considerable complexity. Little is known about the mechanism(s) insects use to recognize foreignness and to combat these infections. The long term goals of the proposed research are to identify the cytotoxic molecules produced by insect blood cells (hemocytes) during immune challenge, and to clarify the mechanisms by which these substances specifically target and destroy organisms that have invaded the body cavity of the host. The major focus of the proposed study concerns the involvement of hemocyte NADPH oxidase and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), since these enzymes are essential not only for the generation of cytotoxic reactive oxygen species by activated hemocytes, but also for intracellular and collaborative cell-cell signaling required for successful host encapsulation responses.