Insights from natural host–parasite interactions: The Drosophila model

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Erin S. Keebaugh, Emory University; Todd Schlenke, Emory University
• Language: English
• Date: 2014-01
• Publisher: Elsevier Ltd.
• Publication Version: Author Accepted Manuscript (After Peer Review)
• Copyright Statement: © 2013 The Authors.
• License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.dci.2013.06.001
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: Developmental & Comparative Immunology
• Volume: 42
• Issue: 1
• Start Page: 111
• End Page: 123
• Grant/Funding Information: This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health Grants R01 AI081879 to TAS.
• Keywords: Parasitology; Model-system approach; Drosophila immunity; Human immune mechanisms; Coevolution; Natural pathogens; Disease
• Research Categories: Biology, Parasitology; Biology, Virology; Health Sciences, Immunology

Abstract

Immune responses against opportunistic pathogens have been extensively studied in Drosophila, leading to a detailed map of the genetics behind innate immunity networks including the Toll, Imd, Jak-Stat, and JNK pathways. However, immune mechanisms of other organisms, particularly plants, have primarily been investigated using natural pathogens. It was the use of natural pathogens in plant research that revealed the plant R/Avr system, a specialized immune response derived from antagonistic coevolution between plant immune proteins and their natural pathogens’ virulence proteins. Thus, we recommend that researchers begin to use natural Drosophila pathogens to identify novel immune mechanisms that may have arisen through antagonistic coevolution with common natural pathogens. In this review, we address the benefits of using natural pathogens in research, describe the known natural pathogens of Drosophila, and discuss exciting prospects for future research on select natural pathogens of Drosophila.