Regulators and signalling in insect haemocyte immunity

The innate immune system of insects relies on both humoral and cellular immune responses that are mediated via activation of several signalling pathways. Haemocytes are the primary mediators of cell-mediated immunity in insects, including phagocytosis, nodulation, encapsulation and melanization. The last years, research has focused on the mechanisms of microbial recognition and activation of haemocyte intracellular signalling molecules in response to invaders. The powerful tool, RNA interference gene silencing, helped several regulators involved in immune responses, to be identified. In this review, we summarize recent advances in understanding the role(s) of receptors and intracellular signalling molecules involved in immune responses. (c) 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.