Macromolecular uptake in Drosophila pericardial cells requires rudhira function

The vertebrate reticuloendothelial system (RES) functions to remove potentially damaging macromolecules, such as excess hormones, immune-peptides and -complexes, bacterial-endotoxins, microorganisms and tumor cells. Insect hemocytes and nephrocytes – which include pericardial cells (PCs) and garland...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Experimental cell research 2008-05, Vol.314 (8), p.1804-1810
Main Authors: Das, Debjani, Aradhya, Rajaguru, Ashoka, D., Inamdar, Maneesha
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Biological Transport
Cellular biology
Coomassie Brilliant Blue
Drosophila
Drosophila - cytology
Drosophila - growth & development
Drosophila - metabolism
Drosophila Proteins - metabolism
Drosophila Proteins - physiology
Dynamins - metabolism
Genetics
Hemolymph - metabolism
Insects
Larva - metabolism
Microphagocytosis
Molecular biology
Mononuclear Phagocyte System - cytology
Mononuclear Phagocyte System - metabolism
Nephrocyte
Pericardium - cytology
Phagocytosis
Pinocytosis
Reticuloendothelial System
Ribonucleic acid
RNA
Rosaniline Dyes - metabolism
Rudhira
Scavenger endothelial cell
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Summary:The vertebrate reticuloendothelial system (RES) functions to remove potentially damaging macromolecules, such as excess hormones, immune-peptides and -complexes, bacterial-endotoxins, microorganisms and tumor cells. Insect hemocytes and nephrocytes – which include pericardial cells (PCs) and garland cells – are thought to be functionally equivalent to the RES. Although the ability of both vertebrate scavenger endothelial cells (SECs) and PCs to sequester colloidal and soluble macromolecules has been demonstrated the molecular mechanism of this function remains to be investigated. We report here the functional characterization of Drosophila larval PCs with important insights into their cellular uptake pathways. We demonstrate the nephrocyte function of PCs in live animals. We also develop and use live-cell assays to show that PCs take up soluble macromolecules in a Dynamin-dependent manner and colloids by a Dynamin-independent pathway. We had earlier identified Drosophila rudhira ( Drudh) as a specific marker for PCs. Using RNAi mediated knock-down we show that Drudh regulates macropinocytic uptake in PCs. Our study establishes important functions for Drosophila PCs, describes methods to identify and study them, provides a genetic handle for further investigation of their role in maintaining homeostasis and demonstrates that they perform key subsets of the roles played by the vertebrate RES.
ISSN:0014-4827
1090-2422
DOI:10.1016/j.yexcr.2008.02.009