Immune defenses are triggered by microbe-associated molecular patterns or as a result of damage to host cells. The elicitors of immune responses in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans are unclear. Using a genome-wide RNA-mediated interference (RNAi) screen, we identified the G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) DCAR-1 as being required for the response to fungal infection and wounding. DCAR-1 acted in the epidermis to regulate the expression of antimicrobial peptides via a conserved p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway. Through targeted metabolomics analysis we identified the tyrosine derivative 4-hydroxyphenyllactic acid (HPLA) as an endogenous ligand. Our findings reveal DCAR-1 and its cognate ligand HPLA to be triggers of the epidermal innate immune response in C. elegans and highlight the ancient role of GPCRs in host defense.
CITATION STYLE
Zugasti, O., Bose, N., Squiban, B., Belougne, J., Kurz, C. L., Schroeder, F. C., … Ewbank, J. J. (2014). Activation of a G protein-coupled receptor by its endogenous ligand triggers the innate immune response of Caenorhabditis elegans. Nature Immunology, 15(9), 833–838. https://doi.org/10.1038/ni.2957
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