Author(s): Killian Bynum
Mentor(s): John Chaston
Institution BYU
Drosophila melanogaster fruit flies have emerged as a valuable model for studying innate immunity, due to the absence of adaptive immunity and relying primarily on humoral and cellular factors in the recognition and termination of bacteria, D. melanogaster relies heavily on two primary immune pathways—Toll and IMD. These pathways respond to distinct microbial signatures: the Toll pathway primarily targets fungi and Gram-positive bacteria, while the IMD pathway defends against Gram-negative bacteria. Upon activation, these pathways stimulate the production of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) that neutralize pathogens. Structurally, D. melanogaster AMPs fall into eight families with pathogen-specific actions, offering a highly specific immune response to various bacterial types even without adaptive immunity. This study will investigate the use of Drosophila immune responses to differentiate bacterial types. Using mutants lacking specific AMP pathways, as well as axenic flies, I will measure bacterial growth inhibition to assess immune specificity. Additionally, I will examine how modifications to the gut microbiome through mono-associated and poly-associated flies influence immune reactivity. Findings from this study may contribute to understanding host-microbe interactions and offer insights into harnessing innate immune pathways for bacterial identification.