Intestinal and epidermal-specific analysis of ZIP-1 function and expression in Caenorhabditis elegans

In the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans , infection with intracellular intestinal pathogens, including microsporidia and the Orsay virus, activates a transcriptional immune response called the intracellular pathogen response (IPR). Upregulation of about 1/3 of IPR genes requires a bZIP transcription factor ZIP-1. Previous work has demonstrated that ZIP-1 promotes anti-viral immunity, but how ZIP-1 protein is regulated and where it controls immune defense remains unclear. Here we show that intestinal-specific rescue of ZIP-1 drives IPR gene expression and promotes resistance to viral infection. We also show that proteasome blockade increases ZIP-1::GFP protein levels independently of the zip-1 promoter.