Table 1.
List of human viruses studied using Drosophila model system.
| Genome type | Virus | Diseases in human | Experimental systems used in Drosophila | Lessons learned from Drosophila model | Refs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ssRNA (positive sense with RT) | Human immune-deficiency virus (HIV)-1 |
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) | In vitro (transfected cell culture), In vivo (transgenic fly to express viral proteins) | Inhibition of Toll pathway and induction of JNK pathway by HIV-1 Vpu are occurred in tissue-dependent manner | (Leulier et al., 2003; Marchal et al., 2012) |
| ssRNA (positive sense) | Dengue virus (DENV) | Dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) and dengue shock syndrome |
In vitro genome-wide RNAi screen: Drosophila cell culture, infected with DENV serotypes 1-4 |
-The significance of RNAi to control DENV infection -Several host factors have been found to be important in the infection control. These factors are suggested to be conserved between Drosophila and humans. |
(Sessions et al., 2009; Mukherjee and Hanley, 2010) |
| severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) | Atypical pneumonia | In vivo (transgenic fly to express viral proteins) | Possible interactions between the SARS-CoV 3a and M with cytochrome c and the AKT pathway of the host, respectively | (Wong et al., 2005; Chan et al., 2007) | |
| Sindbis virus (SINV) | Sindbis fever | In vitro and in vivo (natural infection) | The role of NRAMP family proteins in SINV entry into Drosophila (and mammalian cells) and the importance of ERK pathway in the intestinal immunity of Drosophila (and mosquito) | (Rose et al., 2011; Xu et al., 2013) | |
| West Nile virus (WNV) | West Nile fever (including meningitis and encephalitis) |
In vitro and in vivo (natural infection) | Possible suppression of RNAi in Drosophila (and mammalian cells) by non-coding WNV RNA | (Chotkowski et al., 2008; Schnettler et al., 2012) | |
| ssRNA (negative sense) | Influenza A virus (IAV) | Flu pandemics | In vitro genome-wide RNAi screen: Drosophila cell culture, infected with a genetically modified Influenza A virus | Several host factors have been found to be important in influenza virus replication and host cell programming. These factors are suggested to be conserved between Drosophila and humans. | (Hao et al., 2008) |
| Vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) | Flu-like illness; oncolytic virus | In vitro and in vivo (natural infection) | The role of Drosophila Toll-7 in autophagy induction (in a manner independent on the NF-κB activity) to limit VSV infection. This is similar to TLR7 role in mammals | (Nakamoto et al., 2012) | |
| dsDNA | Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) | Infectious mononucleosis, several types of cancer, and multiple sclerosis | In vivo (transgenic fly to express viral proteins) | Identification of relevant human tumor suppressors that are targeted by the BRLF1 of EBV to induce tumorigenesis | (Adamson et al., 2005; Adamson and LaJeunesse, 2012) |
| Human cytomega-lovirus (HCMV) | Birth defects | In vivo (transgenic fly to express viral proteins) | Potential inhibition of embryogenesis by viral proteins | (Steinberg et al., 2008) | |
| dsDNA | Simian virus (SV) 40 | Undecided (oncogenic role in tumor remains questionable) | In vivo (transgenic fly to express viral proteins) | Possible mechanism of oncogenesis by the small tumor antigen (ST) of SV40 | (Kotadia et al., 2008) |
| Vaccinia virus (VACV) | Rash and fever. Used as a vaccine for smallpox prevention |
In vitro and in vivo (natural infection), In vivo (transgenic fly to express viral proteins) |
Identification of host factors required viral entry | (Moser et al., 2010) |
ss, single-stranded; ds, double stranded; RT, reverse transcriptase; RNAi, RNA interference.