Advances in research on the innate immune system of Drosophila melanogaster

Author of the article:HU QiHao；LU YuZhen；YU XiaoQiang

Author's Workplace：Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Insect Developmental Biology and Applied Technology, Institute of Insect Science and Technology, School of Life Sciences, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, China；Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Insect Developmental Biology and Applied Technology, Institute of Insect Science and Technology, School of Life Sciences, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, China；Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Insect Developmental Biology and Applied Technology, Institute of Insect Science and Technology, School of Life Sciences, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, China

Key Words：Drosophila; innate immunity; pattern recognition receptors; immune signaling pathway

Abstract：The innate immune system plays a critical role in the ability of insects to adapt to changing environments, and its underlying mechanism has become a new area of research in pest control. The insect innate immune system is comprised of humoral immunity and cellular immunity, and involves many proteins and molecules. Research on the innate immune system of insects has advanced greatly in recent years, mainly due to research on the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. D. melanogaster is an ideal model organism for studying innate immunity due to its clear genetic background and many available manipulation tools. Pattern recognition receptors (PRRs), antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) and immune signaling pathways have been well investigated in Drosophila. In this mini-review, we summarize recent advances in research on the innate immune system of Drosophila over the last 20 years. We hope that this review will inspire the study of the innate immune mechanisms of other insect species and provide a theoretical basis for pest control.