Larval hematopoietic organs of multiple Drosophila species show effector caspase activity and DNA damage response

Macrophages are present in various forms throughout metazoans and play conserved roles in phagocytosis, immunity, and tissue homeostasis. In Drosophila melanogaster' s larval hematopoietic organ, the lymph gland, transient caspase-mediated activation of caspase-activated DNase triggers the DNA damage response (DDR), which is crucial for macrophage-type cell differentiation. Here, we report that other Drosophila species having different-sized mature lymph glands show effector caspase activity and DDR similar to those in Drosophila melanogaster , indicating that the developmental mechanism regulating phagocytic macrophage differentiation is conserved in different species of Drosophila .