Immune-metabolic interactions during systemic and enteric infection in Drosophila

Abstract

Immune-metabolic interactions are evolutionarily conserved phenomena observed in all metazoans, from invertebrates to vertebrates. Although it is believed that immune activation drives chronic metabolic diseases, clear conclusions about the reasons and mechanisms of cross-talk between immune and metabolic signaling cannot be drawn. The Drosophila insect model equipped with genetically well-defined immune and metabolic signaling pathways is suitable in understanding the molecular codes underlying immune-metabolic interactions. In this report, we present and discuss the following: how immune signaling induces metabolic phenotypes and how metabolic signaling sequentially induces immune phenotypes in Drosophila. Further genetic studies on immune-metabolic interactions in Drosophila are warranted to increase the understanding of the etiology of different dysregulated immune-metabolic interaction-caused diseases.