Genomic RNAi screening in Drosophila S2 cells: what have we learned about host–pathogen interactions?

The détente between pathogen and host has been of keen interest to researchers in spite of being exceedingly difficult to probe. Recently, new RNA interference (RNAi) technologies, in particular in Drosophila tissue culture cells, have made it possible to interrogate the genetics of host organisms rapidly, with nearly complete genomic coverage and high fidelity. Therefore, it is not surprising that the applications of RNAi to the study of host–pathogen interactions were among the first to be published and have already revealed many new insights into the hosts’ role in infection. This review will highlight the application of RNAi screening to pathogen–host interactions in Drosophila cells and will reveal some of the lessons learned from this approach.