Drosophila as a model for antiviral immunity

Figure 2 Local (cellular) and systemic anti-viral response in Drosophila. In local anti-viral response, the viral particle infects host cell via endocytosis or is taken up by host receptor yet to be identified. Upon infection, viral RNA is processed to dsRNA[63], which evokes RNAi pathway response. The activation of the RNAi pathway, specifically small interfering RNA (siRNA) pathway, leads to the RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC)/siRNA-mediated degradation of viral RNA. It appears that the viral dsRNA can be taken up by un-infected neighboring cells to spread protective RNAi. The other systemic anti-viral mechanism is mediated by the JAK/STAT pathway. The infected cells produce signals that activate the JAK/STAT pathway by currently unknown mechanisms and lead to production of antiviral factors.