AUTHOR=Bazzi Wael , Monticelli Sara , Delaporte Claude , Riet Céline , Giangrande Angela , Cattenoz Pierre B. TITLE=Gcm counteracts Toll-induced inflammation and impacts hemocyte number through cholinergic signaling JOURNAL=Frontiers in Immunology VOLUME=14 YEAR=2023 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/immunology/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2023.1293766 DOI=10.3389/fimmu.2023.1293766 ISSN=1664-3224 ABSTRACT=

Hemocytes, the myeloid-like immune cells of Drosophila, fulfill a variety of functions that are not completely understood, ranging from phagocytosis to transduction of inflammatory signals. We here show that downregulating the hemocyte-specific Glial cell deficient/Glial cell missing (Glide/Gcm) transcription factor enhances the inflammatory response to the constitutive activation of the Toll pathway. This correlates with lower levels of glutathione S-transferase, suggesting an implication of Glide/Gcm in reactive oxygen species (ROS) signaling and calling for a widespread anti-inflammatory potential of Glide/Gcm. In addition, our data reveal the expression of acetylcholine receptors in hemocytes and that Toll activation affects their expressions, disclosing a novel aspect of the inflammatory response mediated by neurotransmitters. Finally, we provide evidence for acetylcholine receptor nicotinic acetylcholine receptor alpha 6 (nAchRalpha6) regulating hemocyte proliferation in a cell autonomous fashion and for non-cell autonomous cholinergic signaling regulating the number of hemocytes. Altogether, this study provides new insights on the molecular pathways involved in the inflammatory response.