Figure 3.

Cecropins are essential in the absence of other AMPs to resist E. cloacae and P. heimbachae infection. (A) Survival experiments upon infection with E. cloacae reveal that AMP deficient flies having Cecropins (ΔAMP10) are significantly more resistant than those without Cecropins (ΔAMP14). (B) Bacterial loads (CFU counts) of w¹¹¹⁸, ΔCec^A-C, ΔAMP10, ΔAMP14, and Rel^E20 flies 8 h postinfection reveal a significant role for Cecropins in clearing and controlling E. cloacae. (C) Commercial Cecropin injection (50 nl at 50 µM) 2 h prior to E. cloacae infection increases the resistance of ΔAMP10 mutant flies. However, CecA injection did not rescue the susceptibility of ΔAMP14 flies to E. cloacae. Survival analysis (D), bacterial load measurements 24 h postinfection (E), and Cecropin supplementation experiments (F) in w¹¹¹⁸, ΔCec^A-C, ΔAMP10, ΔAMP14, and Rel^E20 flies upon infection with P. heimbachae (as described in A–C).