Effect of in vivo inoculation of bacteria on the spontaneous cytotoxicity of axial organ cells from Asterias rubens.
In vivo inoculation of heat-killed bacteria in the coelomic cavity of starfish induces an increase of spontaneous cytotoxicity developed by axial organ (an ancestral lymphoid organ) cells, phenomenon demonstrated by an in vitro [51Cr]-release assay. This observation corroborates the existence of a sophisticated immune system in the echinoderms, a first-rate model for phylogenic study of the immune response.
D000818:Animals; D003602:Cytotoxicity, Immunologic; D007114:Immunization; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000276:immunology; D013215:Starfish / Q000276:immunology*