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Drosophila innate immunity: an evolutionary perspective

Nature Immunology volume 3, pages 121–126 (2002)Cite this article

In response to microbial infections, Drosophila mounts a multifaceted immune response involving humoral reactions that culminate in the destruction of invading organisms by lytic peptides. These defense mechanisms are activated via two distinct signaling pathways. One of these, the Toll pathway, controls resistance to fungal and Gram-positive bacterial infections, whereas the Imd pathway is responsible for defense against Gram-negative bacterial infections. Current evidence indicates that recognition of infectious nonself agents results from interactions between microbial wall components and extracellular pattern recognition proteins. We discuss here evolutionary perspectives on our present understanding of the antimicrobial defenses of Drosophila.

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Figure 1: The antimicrobial defense of Drosophila.
Figure 2: Toll pathways in Drosophila and mammals.
Figure 3: The Imd pathway of Drosophila and the TNF-α receptor pathway in mammals.

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Acknowledgements

We thank C. Hetru, D. Ferrandon, J. L. Imler, M. Meister, J. Royet, P. Bulet and P. Lygoxigakis for helpful discussions and C. Janeway, F. Kafatos and A. Ezekowitz for long-standing and stimulating interactions. Supported by CNRS, the NIH, the European Union, Exelixis (San Francisco) and EntoMed (Strasbourg).

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  1. CNRS, Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology, 15 rue Descartes, Strasbourg, 67000, France

    Jules A. Hoffmann & Jean-Marc Reichhart

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Correspondence to Jules A. Hoffmann.

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Hoffmann, J., Reichhart, JM. Drosophila innate immunity: an evolutionary perspective. Nat Immunol 3, 121–126 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1038/ni0202-121

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