Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2021 Oct;28(5):1208-1227.
doi: 10.1111/1744-7917.12863. Epub 2020 Aug 27.

Cellular and humoral immune interactions between Drosophila and its parasitoids

Lei Yang  1 , Li-Ming Qiu  1 , Qi Fang  1 , David W Stanley  2 , Gong-Yin Ye  1
Affiliations
Review

Cellular and humoral immune interactions between Drosophila and its parasitoids

Lei Yang et al. Insect Sci. 2021 Oct.

Abstract

The immune interactions occurring between parasitoids and their host insects, especially in Drosophila-wasp models, have long been the research focus of insect immunology and parasitology. Parasitoid infestation in Drosophila is counteracted by its multiple natural immune defense systems, which include cellular and humoral immunity. Occurring in the hemocoel, cellular immune responses involve the proliferation, differentiation, migration and spreading of host hemocytes and parasitoid encapsulation by them. Contrastingly, humoral immune responses rely more heavily on melanization and on the Toll, Imd and Jak/Stat immune pathways associated with antimicrobial peptides along with stress factors. On the wasps' side, successful development is achieved by introducing various virulence factors to counteract immune responses of Drosophila. Some or all of these factors manipulate the host's immunity for successful parasitism. Here we review current knowledge of the cellular and humoral immune interactions between Drosophila and its parasitoids, focusing on the defense mechanisms used by Drosophila and the strategies evolved by parasitic wasps to outwit it.

Keywords: Drosophila; immunity; parasitoid; venom; virus-like particles.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Alvarado, G., Holland, S.R., DePerez-Rasmussen, J., Jarvis, B.A., Telander, T., Wagner, N. et al. (2019) Bioinformatic analysis suggests potential mechanisms underlying parasitoid venom evolution and function. Genomics, 112, 1096-1104.
    1. An, C.J., Hiromasa, Y., Zhang, X., Lovell, S., Zolkiewski, M., Tomich, J.M. et al. (2012) Biochemical characterization of Anopheles gambiae SRPN6, a malaria parasite invasion marker in mosquitoes. PLoS ONE, 7, 9.
    1. Anderl, I. (2015) Activation of the Cellular Immune Response in Drosophila melanogaster Larvae. Umeå University, Umeå.
    1. Anderl, I., Vesala, L., Ihalainen, T.O., Vanha-Aho, L.M., Ando, I., Ramet, M. et al. (2016) Transdifferentiation and proliferation in two distinct hemocyte lineages in Drosophila melanogaster larvae after wasp infection. PLoS Pathogens, 12, e1005746.
    1. Ao, J., Ling, E. and Yu, X.Q. (2007) Drosophila C-type lectins enhance cellular encapsulation. Molecular Immunology, 44, 2541-2548.

LinkOut - more resources