{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"institution":[{"name":"bioRxiv"}],"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,15]],"date-time":"2026-01-15T19:43:31Z","timestamp":1768506211130,"version":"3.49.0"},"posted":{"date-parts":[[2023,3,8]]},"group-title":"Physiology","reference-count":56,"publisher":"openRxiv","content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"accepted":{"date-parts":[[2024,2,14]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n                <jats:p>\n                  Host response to pathogens recruits multiple tissues in part through conserved cell signaling pathways. In\n                  <jats:italic>C. elegans<\/jats:italic>\n                  , the bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) like DBL-1 signaling pathway has a role in the response to infection in addition to other roles in development and post-developmental functions. In the regulation of body size, the DBL-1 pathway acts through cell autonomous signal activation in the epidermis (hypodermis). We have now elucidated the tissues that respond to DBL-1 signaling upon exposure to two bacterial pathogens. The receptors and Smad signal transducers for DBL-1 are expressed in pharyngeal muscle, intestine, and epidermis. We demonstrate that expression of receptor-regulated Smad (R-Smad) gene\n                  <jats:italic>sma-3<\/jats:italic>\n                  in the pharynx is sufficient to improve the impaired survival phenotype of\n                  <jats:italic>sma-3<\/jats:italic>\n                  mutants and that expression of\n                  <jats:italic>sma-3<\/jats:italic>\n                  in the intestine has no effect when exposing worms to bacterial infection of the intestine. We also show that two antimicrobial peptide genes \u2013\n                  <jats:italic>abf-2<\/jats:italic>\n                  and\n                  <jats:italic>cnc-2<\/jats:italic>\n                  \u2013 are regulated by DBL-1 signaling through R-Smad SMA-3 activity in the pharynx. Finally, we show that pharyngeal pumping activity is reduced in\n                  <jats:italic>sma-3<\/jats:italic>\n                  mutants and that other pharynx-defective mutants also have reduced survival on a bacterial pathogen. Our results identify the pharynx as a tissue that responds to BMP signaling to coordinate a systemic response to bacterial pathogens.\n                <\/jats:p>\n                <jats:sec>\n                  <jats:title>Significance Statement<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:list list-type=\"bullet\">\n                    <jats:list-item>\n                      <jats:p>Innate immunity is the first line of defense against pathogens. Conserved cell signaling pathways are known to be involved in host-pathogen response, but how they coordinate a systemic response is less well understood.<\/jats:p>\n                    <\/jats:list-item>\n                    <jats:list-item>\n                      <jats:p>\n                        In the nematode\n                        <jats:italic>C. elegans,<\/jats:italic>\n                        bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling is required for survival on pathogenic bacteria. Using transgenic strains, the authors identify a major role for a specific organ, the pharynx, in BMP-dependent survival.\n                      <\/jats:p>\n                    <\/jats:list-item>\n                    <jats:list-item>\n                      <jats:p>These findings demonstrate that an organ can serve as a pathogen sensor to trigger multiple modes of response to bacterial pathogens, include a barrier response and regulation of anti-microbial peptide expression.<\/jats:p>\n                    <\/jats:list-item>\n                  <\/jats:list>\n                <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1101\/2023.03.06.531324","type":"posted-content","created":{"date-parts":[[2023,3,8]],"date-time":"2023-03-08T15:00:27Z","timestamp":1678287627000},"source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["BMP signaling to pharyngeal muscle in the\n                  <i>C. elegans<\/i>\n                  response to a bacterial pathogen regulates anti-microbial peptide expression and pharyngeal pumping"],"prefix":"10.64898","author":[{"given":"Emma Jo","family":"Ciccarelli","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Moshe","family":"Bendelstein","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Katerina K.","family":"Yamamoto","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Hannah","family":"Reich","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3457-0509","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Cathy","family":"Savage-Dunn","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"54368","reference":[{"key":"2024021610501068000_2023.03.06.531324v3.1","first-page":"5544","article-title":"Specificity and complexity of the Caenorhabditis elegans innate immune response","volume":"15","year":"2007","journal-title":"Mol Cell Biol"},{"key":"2024021610501068000_2023.03.06.531324v3.2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/S1359-6101(96)00042-1"},{"key":"2024021610501068000_2023.03.06.531324v3.3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/genetics\/133.4.897"},{"key":"2024021610501068000_2023.03.06.531324v3.4","unstructured":"Avery L , You YJ (2012). 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