Strength in numbers: "Omics" studies of C. elegans innate immunity.
For more than ten years the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans has proven to be a valuable model for studies of the host response to various bacterial and fungal pathogens. When exposed to a pathogenic organism, a clear response is elicited in the nematode, which is characterized by specific alterations on the transcriptional and translational levels. Early on, researchers took advantage of the possibility to conduct large-scale investigations of the C. elegans immune response. Multiple studies demonstrated that C. elegans does indeed mount a protective response against invading pathogens, thus rendering this small nematode a very useful and simple host model for the study of innate immunity and host-pathogen interactions. Here, we provide an overview of key aspects of innate immunity in C. elegans revealed by recent whole-genome transcriptomics and proteomics studies of the global response of C. elegans to various bacterial and fungal pathogens.
Department of Cellular and Physiological Sciences, Life Sciences Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
Karina T
KT
Simonsen
Sandra F
SF
Gallego
Nils J
NJ
Færgeman
Birgitte H
BH
Kallipolitis
D000818:Animals; D001419:Bacteria / Q000276:immunology; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D005658:Fungi / Q000276:immunology; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions; D007113:Immunity, Innate; D020543:Proteome / Q000032:analysis; D015398:Signal Transduction; D059467:Transcriptome
D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D020543:Proteome