Pefabloc – A sulfonyl fluoride serine protease inhibitor blocks induction of Diptericin in Drosophila l(2)mbn cells

Insects protect themselves against microbial infection by an efficient innate immune system that is activated by recognition of invariant microbial surface molecules. In the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster the presence of bacteria is associated with expression of antimicrobial peptides in host immune‐competent tissues. Host receptors detect infection and relay the signal to mount the appropriate immune response. In Drosophila hemocyte‐like l(2)mbn cells pre‐infection treatment with Pefabloc, a commonly used serine protease inhibitor, induced two major effects: it blocked expression of the antibacterial peptide Diptericin in response to live Gram‐negative bacteria and bacterial surface molecules (crude lipopolysaccharide contaminated by peptidoglycans) and it induced morphological changes.