Modeling COPD in $Drosophila\ melanogaster$ by cigarette smoke inhalation: functional changes and alterations in the expression of COPD-relevant orthologous genes

Inhalation exposure of adult D. melanogaster to cigarette smoke induced changes in physiological parameters and the expression of COPD-associated orthologous genes. Transcriptomic responses were more profound in females, indicating sex-specific responses to inhaled toxicants. Furthermore, enrichment analyses of the differentially expressed genes in females pointed to biomolecules associated with response to nicotine and detoxification. D. melanogaster thus provides a powerful model system to test the efficacy of new potential drugs for COPD treatment.