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Updated: Jun 8, 2026

Assessing the Cellular Immune Response of the Fruit Fly, Drosophila melanogaster, Using an In Vivo Phagocytosis Assay
Published on: April 10, 2019
A conserved gene cluster as a putative functional unit in insect innate immunity
Kálmán Somogyi1, Botond Sipos, Zsolt Pénzes
1Institute of Genetics, Biological Research Center of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Szeged, Hungary. somogyi@brc.hu
The Nimrod gene superfamily plays a key role in the innate immune response. This conserved cluster of genes in arthropods functions as a module for insect immunity.
Area of Science:
- Genomics
- Immunology
- Evolutionary Biology
Background:
- The Nimrod gene superfamily is integral to the innate immune response.
- Most Nimrod genes in Drosophila melanogaster are clustered together.
- This cluster, known as the Nimrod cluster, is conserved across arthropod genomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the functional significance of the Nimrod cluster in insect immunity.
- To understand the evolutionary conservation of the Nimrod cluster.
Main Methods:
- Genome analysis of Drosophila melanogaster.
- Comparative genomics across arthropod species.
Main Results:
- The Nimrod cluster is a conserved genomic region in arthropods, present for 300-350 million years.
- The genes within the Nimrod cluster are functionally related to innate immunity.
Conclusions:
- The Nimrod cluster represents a functional module of the insect innate immune system.
- Its long-term conservation highlights its critical role in arthropod immunity.
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