Circulating Immune Cells Mediate a Systemic RNAi-Based Adaptive Antiviral Response in Drosophila.

ABSTRACT: Effective antiviral protection in multicellular organisms relies on both cell-autonomous and systemic immunity. Systemic immunity mediates the spread of antiviral signals from infection sites to distant uninfected tissues. In arthropods, RNA interference (RNAi) is responsible for antiviral defense. Here, we show that flies have a sophisticated systemic RNAi-based immunity mediated by macrophage-like haemocytes. Haemocytes take up dsRNA from infected cells and, through endogenous transposon reverse transcriptases, produce virus-derived complementary DNAs (vDNA). These vDNAs template de novo synthesis of secondary viral siRNAs (vsRNA), which are secreted in exosome-like vesicles. Strikingly, exosomes containing vsRNAs, purified from haemolymph of infected flies, confer passive protection aga

SUBMITTER: Tassetto M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5730277 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature