Fig. 6
From: Mitochondrial perturbation in immune cells enhances cell-mediated innate immunity in Drosophila
Summary of the effects of OXPHOS perturbation on cell mediated innate immunity. OXPHOS disruption in hemocytes leads to a loss of mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm). This likely triggers the mitochondrial unfolded protein response (UPRmt) in the cells. The UPRmt activates transcription of genes related to glycolysis, mitochondrial biogenesis and translation, as well as heat shock proteins, while suppressing the expression of antimicrobial peptides. Eventually, hemocyte specific OXPHOS perturbation leads to an increase in circulating hemocyte count and hemocyte activation. On an organismal level, this activation of cell-mediated immunity causes the formation of melanotic nodules in uninfected larvae and improves the encapsulation of parasitoid wasps. This beneficial effect is tissue-specific, since knocking down OXPHOS complex genes in the fat body negatively affects development and viability of the hosts and leads to reduced parasitoid wasp encapsulation. Figure created with BioRender.com