In this FlyBook chapter, we present a survey of the current literature on the development
of the hematopoietic system in Drosophila. The Drosophila blood system consists entirely
of cells that function in innate immunity, tissue integrity, wound healing, and various
forms of stress response, and are therefore functionally similar to myeloid cells
in mammals. The primary cell types are specialized for phagocytic, melanization, and
encapsulation functions. As in mammalian systems, multiple sites of hematopoiesis
are evident in Drosophila and the mechanisms involved in this process employ many
of the same molecular strategies that exemplify blood development in humans. Drosophila
blood progenitors respond to internal and external stress by coopting developmental
pathways that involve both local and systemic signals. An important goal of these
Drosophila studies is to develop the tools and mechanisms critical to further our
understanding of human hematopoiesis during homeostasis and dysfunction.
