Rab蛋白是小GTP结合蛋白超家族(small GTP-binding proteins)中最大的亚家族,在不同细胞膜区室之间的囊泡转运过程中起重要的调控作用。脊椎动物包含70多种Rab蛋白,到目前在果蝇中发现了33种Rab,并且与脊椎动物的Rab蛋白具有较高的同源性。果蝇Rab蛋白广泛分布于各细胞器中并发挥重要的生物学功能。由于果蝇的免疫系统相对简单,并且其天然免疫调节机制与哺乳动物比较相似,因此果蝇成为研究天然免疫的理想模型。本文主要介绍了Rab家族蛋白在果蝇天然免疫中的作用。
Rab proteins, the largest subfamily of small GTP-binding proteins, play an indispensable role in vesicle trafficking among different cellular membrane compartments. There are more than 70 Rab proteins found in vertebrates. In Drosophila, there are 33 Rab proteins which are highly homologous to those in vertebrates. Rab proteins distribute widely in all kinds of organelle and participate in numerous critical biological processes. Due to the similar regulatory mechanism for innate immunity to mammals', Drosophila is an ideal model for studying the innate immune system. In this review, we discussed the functional roles of Rab proteins in Drosophila innate immunity.