How Do Flies Tolerate Microorganisms in the Gut?

Abstract

Although gut epithelia are in constant contact with a large number of microbe-derived immune elicitors such as peptidoglycan, they do not mount an intense immune response. In this issue of Cell Host & Microbe, Lhocine et al. (2008) report that the PIMS gene product induces immune tolerance by reducing the availability of the peptidoglycan receptor in the plasma membrane. These findings provide a novel insight into the molecular mechanisms by which the host gut maintains balanced host-microbe interactions. © 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.