Article

Immune defense mechanisms in the Caenorhabditis elegans intestinal epithelium.

Division of Infectious Diseases, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA.
Current opinion in immunology (impact factor: 10.88). 02/2012; 24(1):3-9. DOI:10.1016/j.coi.2011.10.004 pp.3-9
Source: PubMed

ABSTRACT Intestinal epithelial cells provide an essential line of defense for Caernohabditis elegans against ingested pathogens. Because nematodes consume microorganisms as their food source, there has presumably been selection pressure to evolve and maintain immune defense mechanisms within the intestinal epithelium. Here we review recent advances that further define the immune signaling network within these cells and suggest mechanisms used by the nematode to monitor for infection. In reviewing studies of pathogenesis that use this simple model system, we hope to illustrate some of the basic principles of epithelial immunity that may also be of relevance in higher order hosts.

0 0
 · 
0 Bookmarks
 · 
54 Views
  • Source
    Article: Stimulation of host immune defenses by a small molecule protects C. elegans from bacterial infection.
    Read Pukkila-Worley, Rhonda Feinbaum, Natalia V Kirienko, Jonah Larkins-Ford, Annie L Conery, Frederick M Ausubel
    [show abstract] [hide abstract]
    ABSTRACT: The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans offers currently untapped potential for carrying out high-throughput, live-animal screens of low molecular weight compound libraries to identify molecules that target a variety of cellular processes. We previously used a bacterial infection assay in C. elegans to identify 119 compounds that affect host-microbe interactions among 37,214 tested. Here we show that one of these small molecules, RPW-24, protects C. elegans from bacterial infection by stimulating the host immune response of the nematode. Using transcriptome profiling, epistasis pathway analyses with C. elegans mutants, and an RNAi screen, we show that RPW-24 promotes resistance to Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection by inducing the transcription of a remarkably small number of C. elegans genes (∼1.3% of all genes) in a manner that partially depends on the evolutionarily-conserved p38 MAP kinase pathway and the transcription factor ATF-7. These data show that the immunostimulatory activity of RPW-24 is required for its efficacy and define a novel C. elegans-based strategy to identify compounds with activity against antibiotic-resistant bacterial pathogens.
    PLoS Genetics 06/2012; 8(6):e1002733. · 8.69 Impact Factor
Data provided are for informational purposes only. Although carefully collected, accuracy cannot be guaranteed. The impact factor represents a rough estimation of the journal's impact factor and does not reflect the actual current impact factor. Publisher conditions are provided by RoMEO. Differing provisions from the publisher's actual policy or licence agreement may be applicable.

Keywords

basic principles
 
Caernohabditis elegans
 
higher order hosts
 
immune signaling network
 
Intestinal epithelial cells
 
intestinal epithelium
 
nematode
 
nematodes
 
simple model system