Characterization of gene expression regulated by human OTK18 using Drosophila melanogaster as a model system for innate immunity.

OTK18 is a human transcriptional suppressor implicated in the regulation of human immunodeficiency virus type-one infection of mononuclear phagocytes. It is ubiquitously expressed in all normal tissues, but its normal homeostatic function is yet to be characterized. One hypothesis is that OTK18 aids in the regulation of the innate immune system. To test this hypothesis, cDNA microarray analysis was performed on the total RNA extracted from Drosophila melanogaster embryonic Schneider 2 (S2) cells transfected with either pEGFP-OTK18 (enhanced green fluorescent protein) or empty vector controls (pEGFP-N3) for 6, 12 and 24 h. cDNA microarray analysis revealed differential expression of genes known to be important in regulation of Drosophila innate immunity. The expression levels of two genes, Metchnikowin and CG16708 were verified by quantitative real-time reverse transcription PCR. These results suggest a role for OTK18 in innate immunity.