The Drosophila peptidoglycan-recognition protein LF interacts with peptidoglycan-recognition protein LC to downregulate the Imd pathway

EMBO Rep. 2011 Apr;12(4):327-33. doi: 10.1038/embor.2011.19. Epub 2011 Mar 4.

Abstract

The peptidoglycan (PGN)-recognition protein LF (PGRP-LF) is a specific negative regulator of the immune deficiency (Imd) pathway in Drosophila. We determine the crystal structure of the two PGRP domains constituting the ectodomain of PGRP-LF at 1.72 and 1.94 Å resolution. The structures show that the LFz and LFw domains do not have a PGN-docking groove that is found in other PGRP domains, and they cannot directly interact with PGN, as confirmed by biochemical-binding assays. By using surface plasmon resonance analysis, we show that the PGRP-LF ectodomain interacts with the PGRP-LCx ectodomain in the absence and presence of tracheal cytotoxin. Our results suggest a mechanism for downregulation of the Imd pathway on the basis of the competition between PRGP-LCa and PGRP-LF to bind to PGRP-LCx.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Animals
  • Carrier Proteins / chemistry*
  • Carrier Proteins / genetics
  • Carrier Proteins / metabolism*
  • Crystallography, X-Ray
  • Drosophila
  • Drosophila Proteins / genetics
  • Drosophila Proteins / metabolism
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Peptidoglycan / metabolism
  • Protein Binding
  • Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
  • Signal Transduction
  • Surface Plasmon Resonance

Substances

  • Carrier Proteins
  • Drosophila Proteins
  • Peptidoglycan
  • imd protein, Drosophila
  • peptidoglycan recognition protein