Drosophila-Zika virus interactions: Dissecting host immunity and pathology against flavivirus infection

Flavivirus outbreaks have been recently expanded in many parts of the world where infections are associated with severe disorders. The emergence of severe diseases caused by flaviviruses has raised significant public health concerns. While many important questions regarding the spectrum of these diseases remain unanswered, there is current urgency to elucidate the induced pathological defects that occur in the host and the molecular signaling pathways that lead to these abnormalities. Understanding the genetic basis of host-flavivirus interactions requires the use of model organisms that facilitate the identification and characterization of flavivirus pathogenesis and its effects on host fundamental biological processes, such as immunity, metabolism, and development. Here, we review the recent progress on exploiting the power of the common fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster as a model host to address experimentally the complex mechanisms of pathogenesis in ZIKV-infected animals and to provide an integrative view, at the organismal level, of the complex interactions involved. Findings from the Drosophila-ZIKV infection model have contributed toward a better appreciation of the specific viral molecular components which are responsible for undermining host homeostasis. This knowledge is essential for deciphering host-ZIKV gene-for-gene relationship which will provide an unprecedented insight into flavivirus pathogenesis and host pathophysiology.