Drosophila strain specific response to cisplatin neurotoxicity

<i>Drosophila melanogaster</i> has recently been developed as a simple, <i>in vivo</i>, genetic model of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy. Flies treated with the chemotherapy agent cisplatin display both a neurodegenerative phenotype and cell death in rapidly dividing follicles, mimicking the cell specific responses seen in humans. Cisplatin induces climbing deficiencies and loss of fertility in a dose dependent manner. <i>Drosophila</i> sensitivity to cisplatin in both cell types is affected by genetic background. We show that mutation or RNAi-based knockdown of genes known to be associated with CIPN incidence in humans affect sensitivity of flies to CIPN. <i>Drosophila</i> is a promising model with which to study the effect of genetics on sensitivity to CIPN.