Drosophila host defense mechanisms against filamentous fungal pathogens with diverse lifestyles

Entomopathogenic fungi serve as powerful regulators of insect populations in nature. However, how immune effectors combat fungal pathogens remains incompletely understood. We employ Drosophila melanogaster as a genetically tractable model to dissect immune defense mechanisms against diverse fungal pathogens. We show that the Toll pathway is the key determinant of immunity against all species tested regardless of their ecological strategy, primarily through resistance mechanisms that limit fungal