Abstract
To gain an in-depth grasp of infectious processes one has to know the specific interactions between the virulence factors of the pathogen and the host defense mechanisms. A thorough understanding is crucial for identifying potential new drug targets and designing drugs against which the pathogens might not develop resistance easily. Model organisms are a useful tool for this endeavor, thanks to the power of their genetics. Drosophila melanogaster is widely used to study host-pathogen interactions. Its basal immune response is well understood and is briefly reviewed here. Considerations relevant to choosing an adequate infection model are discussed. This review then focuses mainly on infections with two categories of pathogens, the well-studied Gram-negative bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa and infections by fungi of medical interest. These examples provide an overview over the current knowledge on Drosophilapathogen interactions and illustrate the approaches that can be used to study those interactions. We also discuss the usefulness and limits of Drosophila infection models for studying specific host-pathogen interactions and high-throughput drug screening.
Keywords: Candida albicans, Drosophila immunity, endurance/tolerance, host-pathogen interactions, model organism, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, virulence, genetic, microbes, antibiotic
Current Drug Targets
Title: Virulence on the Fly: Drosophila melanogaster as a Model Genetic Organism to Decipher Host-Pathogen Interactions
Volume: 12 Issue: 7
Author(s): Stefanie Limmer, Jessica Quintin, Charles Hetru and Dominique Ferrandon
Affiliation:
Keywords: Candida albicans, Drosophila immunity, endurance/tolerance, host-pathogen interactions, model organism, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, virulence, genetic, microbes, antibiotic
Abstract: To gain an in-depth grasp of infectious processes one has to know the specific interactions between the virulence factors of the pathogen and the host defense mechanisms. A thorough understanding is crucial for identifying potential new drug targets and designing drugs against which the pathogens might not develop resistance easily. Model organisms are a useful tool for this endeavor, thanks to the power of their genetics. Drosophila melanogaster is widely used to study host-pathogen interactions. Its basal immune response is well understood and is briefly reviewed here. Considerations relevant to choosing an adequate infection model are discussed. This review then focuses mainly on infections with two categories of pathogens, the well-studied Gram-negative bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa and infections by fungi of medical interest. These examples provide an overview over the current knowledge on Drosophilapathogen interactions and illustrate the approaches that can be used to study those interactions. We also discuss the usefulness and limits of Drosophila infection models for studying specific host-pathogen interactions and high-throughput drug screening.
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Cite this article as:
Limmer Stefanie, Quintin Jessica, Hetru Charles and Ferrandon Dominique, Virulence on the Fly: Drosophila melanogaster as a Model Genetic Organism to Decipher Host-Pathogen Interactions, Current Drug Targets 2011; 12 (7) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/138945011795677818
DOI https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/138945011795677818 |
Print ISSN 1389-4501 |
Publisher Name Bentham Science Publisher |
Online ISSN 1873-5592 |
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