Progress and Prospect of Dscam Gene in Drosophila Immunity

Abstract

The cell adhesion molecule (Dscam) gene in Down syndrome is an extraordinary example of diversity: by combining alternative splicing exons, thousands of subtypes can be generated from just one gene. So far, this diversity of the gene has only been found in insects and crustaceans, and the basic part of neural connections has been well characterized as Drosophila melanogaster. More than a decade ago, evidence from Drosophila melanogaster indicated that the Dscam gene is involved in insect immune defense. However, we are still far from fully understanding the functions of Dscam in parasites and pathogens, as well as its full correlation with the immune system. In this article, we first briefly introduce the immune mechanism of fruit flies and the current research status of Dscam. Finally, the future research prospects of Dscam are summarized and proposed, with the aim of providing a multi perspective perspective to further study the relationship between this gene and immune defense in detail.