Reproductive status alters transcriptomic response to infection in female Drosophila melanogaster

In this analysis, we used microarrays to contrast genome-wide transcript levels in virgin versus mated females before and after infection. We repeated the entire experiment using female mutants that do not form a germline. We found that multiple genes involved in egg production show reduced expression in response to infection, and that this reduction is stronger in virgins than it is in mated females. In germline-less females, expression of egg-production genes was predictably low and not differentially affected by infection. We also identified several immune responsive genes that are differentially induced after infection in virgins versus mated females. Eight treatment groups were analzyed, with three replicates for each treatment group.