Anti-Fungal Innate Immunity in C. elegans Is Enhanced by Evolutionary Diversification of Antimicrobial Peptides
Figure 4
Osmotic stress resistant mutants constitutively express pnlp-29::GFP and resist fungal infection.
A–D Osmotic resistant mutants such as osm-11(n1604) (B) or dpy-9(e12) (D) constitutively express pnlp-29::GFP while other Dpy mutants including dpy-13(e184) (C) behave like wild-type (A) and do not. E Quantification with the Biosort of the normalized fluorescent ratio (green/red) of the integrated frIs7 transgene in different mutant backgrounds. The number of worms used in each test is shown in parenthesis. F & G dpy-9 and osm-11 mutants resist D. coniospora infection significantly better than wild-type worms and dpy-17 mutants (F, p<0.001, one-side log rank test), but do not have a significant different life span in the absence of pathogen (G). Both survival experiments were done on heat killed OP50. H Quantification with the Biosort of the normalized fluorescent ratio (green/red) of worms carrying the integrated frIs7 transgene in different mutant backgrounds, osm-11(n1604), pmk-1(km25) and osm-11(n1604);pmk-1(km25). The number of worms used in each test is shown in parenthesis. The results shown are representative of at least 3 independent experiments. I Acute osmotic stress resistance in wild type worms osm-11(n1604), pmk-1(km25) and osm-11(n1604);pmk-1(km25) mutants.