Bomanin Explained

Symbol:	Bom
Uniprot:	P82706
Organism:	Drosophila melanogaster

The Bomanin gene family encodes a group of immune peptides that are essential for Drosophila fruit fly defence against infection by many pathogens.^{[1] [2]}

The gene family is named in honour of Hans G. Boman, for his contributions to innate immunity and the discovery of antimicrobial peptides. While Bomanins are essential for survival after infection by many kinds of Gram-positive bacteria and pathogenic fungi, the reason they are key to defence may be because Bomanins promote resilience to pathogen toxins, and not because they directly suppress pathogens.^[3] However fly hemolymph (blood) loses its fungicidal activity in the absence of Bomanins, suggesting these peptides are also somehow needed to turn the hemolymph into an antimicrobial environment.^[4]

See also

• Hans G. Boman
• Antimicrobial peptides
• Drosomycin
• Metchnikowin
• Baramicin
• Daisho
• The Toll immunity signalling pathway

Notes and References

1. Clemmons AW, Lindsay SA, Wasserman SA . An effector Peptide family required for Drosophila toll-mediated immunity . PLOS Pathogens . 11 . 4 . e1004876 . April 2015 . 25915418 . 4411088 . 10.1371/journal.ppat.1004876 . Silverman N . free .
2. Hanson MA, Dostálová A, Ceroni C, Poidevin M, Kondo S, Lemaitre B . Synergy and remarkable specificity of antimicrobial peptides in vivo using a systematic knockout approach . eLife . 8 . e44341 . February 2019 . 30803481 . 6398976 . 10.7554/eLife.44341 . free .
3. Xu R, Lou Y, Tidu A, Bulet P, Heinekamp T, Martin F, Brakhage A, Li Z, Liégeois S, Ferrandon D . 6 . The Toll pathway mediates Drosophila resilience to Aspergillus mycotoxins through specific Bomanins . EMBO Reports . 24 . 1 . e56036 . January 2023 . 36322050 . 9827548 . 10.15252/embr.202256036 .
4. Lindsay SA, Lin SJ, Wasserman SA . Short-Form Bomanins Mediate Humoral Immunity in Drosophila . Journal of Innate Immunity . 10 . 4 . 306–314 . 2018 . 29920489 . 6158068 . 10.1159/000489831 .