NIPI-3 regulates the expression of C. elegans immune genes

Many pathogens secrete toxins that target key host processes resulting in the activation of immune pathways. The secreted Pseudomonas aeruginosa toxin Exotoxin A (ToxA) disrupts intestinal protein synthesis which triggers the induction of a subset of P. aeruginosa-response genes in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. We found that losing one ToxA-induced C. elegans gene, the Tribbles pseudokinase ortholog nipi-3, results in hypersusceptibility to both P. aeruginosa and ToxA. We determined that NIPI-3 mediates the post-developmental expression of intestinal immune genes and proteins and primarily functions in parallel to known immune pathways, including p38 PMK-1 MAPK signaling. Here we present the microarray data that was used to determine that (1) nipi-3 regulates immune gene expression and that (2) nipi-3 and pmk-1 regulate non-overlapping gene sets consistent with them functioning in parallel.

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McEwan DL, Feinbaum RL, Stroustrup N, Haas W, Conery AL, Anselmo A, Sadreyev R, Ausubel FM