Insect Infection and Immunity: Evolution, Ecology, and Mechanisms

by Jens Rolff (Editor), Stuart Reynolds (Editor)

Overview

Under continual attack from both microbial pathogens and multicellular parasites, insects must cope with immune challenges every day of their lives. However, this has not prevented them from becoming the most successful group of animals on the planet. Insects possess highly-developed innate immune systems which have been fine-tuned by an arms race with pathogens spanning hundreds of millions of years of evolutionary history. Recent discoveries are revealing both an unexpected degree of specificity and an indication of immunological memory - the functional hallmark of vertebrate immunity. The study of insect immune systems has accelerated rapidly in recent years and is now becoming an important interdisciplinary field. Furthermore, insects are a phenomenally rich and diverse source of antimicrobial chemicals. Some of these are already being seriously considered as potential therapeutic agents to control microbes such as MRSA. Despite a burgeoning interest in the field, this is the first book to provide a coherent synthesis and is clearly structured around two broadly themed sections: mechanisms of immunity and evolutionary ecology. This novel text adopts an interdisciplinary and concept-driven approach, integrating insights from immunology, molecular biology, ecology, evolutionary biology, parasitology, and epidemiology. It features contributions from an international team of leading experts. Insect Infection and Immunity is suitable for both graduate students and researchers interested in insect immunity from either an evolutionary, genetical, physiological or molecular perspective. Due to its interdisciplinary and concept-driven approach, it will also appeal to a broader audience of immunologists, parasitologists and evolutionary biologists requiring a concise overview.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780191579141
Publisher:	OUP Oxford
Publication date:	06/25/2009
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	20 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Jens Rolff (University of Sheffield, UK) has been contributing to the field of ecological immunology since it first emerged. He is especially interested in how immunity and life histories are interlinked with respect to seasonality and sex differences. He has published more than 30 papers on the evolutionary ecology of insect immunity and interactions with parasites. He is co-editor of Ecological Entomology and has fostered inter-disciplinary exchange by organising international workshops. Stuart Reynolds (University of Bath, UK) is co-editor of the Journal of Insect Physiology and has published more than 100 papers on insect physiology. He is particularly interested in the immune responses of lepidopteran larvae and the use of RNAi as a tool to investigate this. Together, they are convenors of the Insect Immunology Special Interest Group of the Royal Entomological Society of the UK.

Table of Contents

• 1: Stuart Reynolds and Jens Rolff: Introducing Insect Infection and Immunity
• A. Immune Mechanisms and Integration
• 2: Nichole A. Broderick, David P. Welchman and Bruno Lemaitre: Recognition and Response to Microbial Infection of Drosophila
• 3: Emily J. Ragan, Chunju An, Haobo Jiang and Michael R. Kanost: Roles of Hemolymph Proteins in Antimicrobial Defences of Manduca sexta
• 4: Jean-Luc Imler and Ioannis Eleftherianos: Drosophila as a Model for Studying Antiviral Defenses
• 5: Suchismita Das, Yuemei Dong, Lindsey Garver and George Dimopoulos: Specificity of the Innate Immune System: A Closer Look at the Mosquito Pattern Recognition Receptor Repertoire
• 6: Fotis Kafatos, Robert Waterhouse, Evgeny Zdobnov and George Christophides: Comparative Genomics of Insect Immunity
• 7: David Schneider: Physiological Integration of Innate Immunity
• B. Immune Interactions and Evolution
• 8: Gregory D.D. Hurst and Alistair C. Darby: The Inherited Microbiota of Arthropods, and their Importance in Understanding Resistance and Immunity
• 9: Sebastien Moreau, Elisabeth Huguet and Jean-Michel Drezen: Insect Viruses, Parasitoids and their Interactions with the Insect Immune System: Polydnaviruses as Tools to Deliver Wasp Virulence Factors to Impair Lepidopteran Host Immunity
• 10: Jacob Koella: Immune Responses and the Evolution of Resistance
• 11: Shelley A. Adamo: The Impact of Physiological State on Immune Function in Insects
• 12: Alex R. Kraaijeveld and Bregje Wertheim: Costs and Genomic Aspects of Drosophila Immunity to Parasites and Pathogens
• 13: Punita Juneja and Brian P. Lazzaro: Population Genetics of Insect Immune Responses
• 14: Ben M. Sadd and Paul Schmid-Hempel: Ecological and Evolutionary Implications of Specific Immune Responses
• 15: Michael T. Siva-Jothy: Reproductive Immunity
• Index

Editorial Reviews

"A significant contribution and an excellent resource to anyone interested in the growing field of ecological immunology. It is unique in that it integrates previously disjointed camps - researchers interested in mechanistic immunology and those interested in evolutionary ecology - into one, mostly cohesive approach. As such, the text should help settle the needless, ongoing, polarized debate amongst researchers. For those of us in the field, the timing of this work is perfect."—Myrmecological News

"A useful introduction for scientists unfamiliar with insect immunity and, for those already familiar with the field, a useful update on recent research and a source of often novel, sometimes speculative, but always thought-provoking ideas."—Trends in Ecology and Evolution

"A valuable book. It demonstrates our current depth of understanding of immune signaling pathways in model insects and some of the differences between insect species, and highlights the growing appreciation of the effects of genetic, physiological, behavioral, and other variables on immunity in insects. It should be as welcome to researchers as to advanced students."—Integrative and Comparative Biology

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