title: Microbial pathogenesis and host defense in the nematode C. elegans.
abstract: Epithelial cells line the surfaces of the body, and are on the front lines of defense against microbial infection. Like many other metazoans, the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans lacks known professional immune cells and relies heavily on defense mediated by epithelial cells. New results indicate that epithelial defense in C. elegans can be triggered through detection of pathogen-induced perturbation of core physiology within host cells and through autophagic defense against intracellular and extracellular pathogens. Recent studies have also illuminated a diverse array of pathogenic attack strategies used against C. elegans. These findings are providing insight into the underpinnings of host/pathogen interactions in a simple animal host that can inform studies of infectious diseases in humans.
authors.affiliation: Division of Biological Sciences, Section of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093, United States.
authors.forename: Lianne B
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Cohen
authors.affiliation: Division of Biological Sciences, Section of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093, United States. Electronic address: etroemel@ucsd.edu.
authors.forename: Emily R
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Troemel
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001343:Autophagy; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology*; D003674:Defense Mechanisms; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology*; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions