{
  "abstract": "SUMMARY Sexual dimorphism in infection outcomes is a pervasive phenomenon, the underlying mechanisms of which remain incompletely understood. Here, utilizing Pseudomonas entomophila intestinal infection in Drosophila, we demonstrated that sex differences in intestinal redox processes contribute to female bias in susceptibility to gut infection. Female inability to overcome excessive pathogen-induced oxidative stress results in defecation blockage, pathogen persistence, and host death. Male flies exhibit increased carbohydrate metabolism and pentose phosphate pathway activity – a key antioxidant defense system. This allows males to withstand oxidative stress-induced defecation blockage and clear the pathogen from the intestine, resulting in survival. Additionally, P. entomophila showed increased expression of several virulence factors, including RNA-binding protein Hfq, in the female gut, contributing to female-biased virulence of P. entomophila . Thus, the effect of the gut metabolic environment on host defenses and pathogen virulence determines the sex differences in intestinal infection outcomes. Highlights Intestinal transit of gut pathogen contributes to sexually dimorphic susceptibility to Drosophila gut infection. Male bias in PPP favors pathogen clearance and recovery post-infection. P. entomophila reacts differently to female gut environment, where higher levels of Hfq might contribute to virulence/lethality.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Faculty of Life Sciences, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin",
    "Research group Genetics of host-microbe interactions, Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology",
    "Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Faculty of Life Sciences, 10099 Berlin, Germany",
    "Research group Genetics of host-microbe interactions, Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology, Charitéplatz , 07 Berlin, Germany",
    "Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA",
    "University of Texas at Arlington, 701 S Nedderman Dr, Arlington, TX 76019",
    "Technische Universität Berlin, Straße des 17. Juni 135, 10623 Berlin",
    "Core Facility for Metabolomics and Small Molecule Mass Spectrometry, Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Marburg, Germany",
    "Max Planck Unit for the Science of Pathogens, Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany",
    "Microscopy Core Facility, Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology",
    "Center for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes (cE3c) & Global Change and Sustainability Institute (CHANGE), Faculty of Sciences, University of Lisbon (FCUL), Lisbon, Portugal",
    "Centre for Cardiovascular Science, Queen's Medical Research Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK",
    "Core Facility for Metabolomics and Small Molecule Mass Spectrometry, Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology",
    "Max Planck Unit for the Science of Pathogens",
    "Center for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes and Global Change and Sustainability Institute, Faculty of Sciences, University of Lisbon",
    "Centre for Cardiovascular Science, Queen’s Medical Research Institute, University of Edinburgh"
  ],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 11,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1,
        2,
        3
      ],
      "name": "Marko Rubinić",
      "orcid": "0009-0005-0381-6499"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1,
        4,
        3
      ],
      "name": "Yi Yu",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-9061-0405"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1,
        3,
        5
      ],
      "name": "Aranzazu Arias-Rojas"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1,
        3,
        6
      ],
      "name": "Kaisy A. Martinez",
      "orcid": "0009-0008-5595-879X"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1,
        7
      ],
      "name": "Wioletta Klimek",
      "orcid": "0009-0002-0128-1425"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1,
        8
      ],
      "name": "Dagmar Frahm",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-4528-2641"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        9,
        10,
        11
      ],
      "name": "Volker Brinkmann",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-4735-3682"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        12,
        3
      ],
      "name": "Nicole Paczia",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-3859-8186"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        13
      ],
      "name": "Kathirvel Alagesan",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-7596-5558"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        14,
        15
      ],
      "name": "David Duneau",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-8323-1511"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Igor Iatsenko",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-9249-8998"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/87ew7y3k3zscq.bib",
  "cited_by": 9,
  "doi": "10.1073/pnas.2514992123",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "87ew7y3k3zscq",
  "issns": [
    "0027-8424",
    "1091-6490"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2514992123",
  "language": "en",
  "licence": "CC-BY",
  "licence_label": "CC BY",
  "licence_source": "journal",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
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      "2403|Invertebrate Immune Response Mechanisms"
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  "pdf_url": null,
  "pmcid": "PMC13320730",
  "pmid": "42341050",
  "published": "2026-06-24",
  "publisher": "National Academy of Sciences",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/87ew7y3k3zscq.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T13:26:51Z",
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      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2514992123"
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  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "openalex:2403|Invertebrate Immune Response Mechanisms",
      "subfield": "immunology"
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  ],
  "title": "Sex differences in Drosophila intestinal metabolism contribute to sexually dimorphic infection outcome and alter gut pathogen virulence",
  "title_text": "Sex differences in Drosophila intestinal metabolism contribute to sexually dimorphic infection outcome and alter gut pathogen virulence",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-08T13:20:46Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/87ew7y3k3zscq",
  "venue": "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences",
  "versions": []
}