Title
Host-pathogen interactions in drosophila: new tricks from an old friend
UMMS Affiliation
Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases and Immunology
Date
8-23-2006
Document Type
Article
Subjects
Animals; Drosophila; Drosophila Proteins; *Phagocytosis; Signal Transduction; Viruses
Abstract
Insects rely solely on innate immune responses to combat a wide array of pathogens. With its powerful genetics, drosophila has proven especially powerful for the study of humoral innate immunity, characterized by the rapid induction of antimicrobial peptides. The two signaling pathways involved, Toll and Imd, have been studied intensely, but other aspects of the drosophila immune response are less well understood. A flurry of reports has focused on the mechanisms of phagocytosis, antiviral immunity and viral pathogenesis in drosophila. These studies have taken advantage of genome-wide RNA-mediated interference screening in drosophila cells, as well as more traditional genetic tools available in the fly. This review discusses advances in these exciting new areas of drosophila immunity.
Rights and Permissions
Citation: Nat Immunol. 2006 Sep;7(9):911-7. Link to article on publisher's site
Related Resources
PubMed ID
16924255