Thesis
English
ID: <
10670/1.rpw94g>
Abstract
Since the discovery of the evolutionarily conserved TOLL and IMD pathways, involved in antifungal and antibacterial immune responses, the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster is used as a model to study the molecular mechanisms of innate immunity. To defend against viral pathogens, Drosophila relies on two main facets: the RNA interference (RNAi) pathway and virus specific inducible responses. We show that the RNAi pathway plays a role in the control of a DNA virus, in addition to RNA viruses. We also observe that the fly genetic background can modulate the resistance to infection by Drosophila C virus (DCV), a natural pathogen of Drosophila. This resistance to DCV infection is correlated with polymorphisms in a gene named pastrel,localized on the left arm of the third chromosome. Our loss- and gain-of-function experiments indicate that pastrel encodes a molecule opposing infection by picorna-like viruses DCV and also Cricket Paralysis virus (CrPV), raising the question of the mechanism involved. This restriction appears early after infection. The Cterminal region of Pastrel protein is important for its antiviral activity and its localization in vesicular structures co-localizing with Nile Red staining, a marker for lipid droplets. Altogether, our data suggest a connection between lipid droplets and restriction of viral infection in Drosophila, as already described in mammals between the restriction factor Viperin, present on lipid droplets, and the replication of the human pathogen Hepatitis C Virus.