Mechanisms of innate immunity in C. elegans epidermis

Clara Taffoni (1) , Nathalie Pujol (1)

1 CIML - Centre d'Immunologie de Marseille - Luminy

The roundworm C. elegans has been successfully used for more than 50 y as a genetically tractable invertebrate model in diverse biological fields such as neurobiology, development and interactions. C. elegans feeds on bacteria and can be naturally infected by a wide range of microorganisms, including viruses, bacteria and fungi. Most of these pathogens infect C. elegans through its gut, but some have developed ways to infect the epidermis. In this review, we will mainly focus on epidermal innate immunity, in particular the signaling pathways and effectors activated upon wounding and fungal infection that serve to protect the host. We will discuss the parallels that exist between epidermal innate immune responses in nematodes and mammals.

Mots clés: collagen; cuticle; damage; Epidermal barrier; epidermis; GPCR; hemidesmosome; pathogen; Pathogen-barrier interactions; signaling; wounding

Domaines: Immunité innée; Zoologie des invertébrés

Clara Taffoni, Nathalie Pujol. Mechanisms of innate immunity in C. elegans epidermis. Tissue Barriers , 2015, 3 (4), pp.e1078432. ⟨10.1080/21688370.2015.1078432⟩. ⟨hal-01768347⟩