WormBase Tree Display for WBProcess: WBbiopr:00000008
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| WBbiopr:00000008 | Public_name | Response to pathogens | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summary | C. elegans is susceptible to disease or death brought on by a number of different microbial or fungal pathogens. While some of these pathogens, e.g., Drechmeria conispora and Microbacterium nematophilum are more specific to nematodes, other pathogens, e.g., Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella enterica, etc., are also pathogenic to humans. Genetic studies of C. elegans response to these pathogens have shown the nematode to employ three main mechanisms to defend against pathogen attack. First, as a behavioral response, C. elegans has been shown to use olfactory cues to distinguish different bacteria and respond with avoidance to those that are deemed harmful. Second, C. elegans has evolved physical barriers to infection that include a cuticle of collagen and chitin that protects the worm from its environment. This cuticle is also replaced at each larval molt, decreasing the worm's exposure to harmful bacteria that may be hitching a ride. In addition, C. elegans has evolved a pharyngeal grinder capable of pulverizing bacteria, keeping live bacteria from entering the gut. Third, C. elegans nematodes have inducible innate immune responses that are analogous to stress response pathways present in other organisms, for example, the PMK-1/P38 MAPK signaling pathway induced in response to Salmonella enterica. | ||||
| Related_topic | Generalisation_of | WBbiopr:00000039 | |||
| Involved_entity | Gene (53) | ||||
| Expression_cluster (24) | |||||
| Interaction (32) | |||||
| Life_stage | WBls:0000023 | Paper_evidence | WBPaper00041045 | ||
| Molecule | WBMol:00003916 | Paper_evidence | WBPaper00042350 | ||
| WBMol:00005314 | Paper_evidence | WBPaper00041211 | |||
| Associated_with | Phenotype | WBPhenotype:0001012 | Paper_evidence | WBPaper00032003 | |
| WBPaper00004574 | |||||
| WBPhenotype:0001013 | Paper_evidence | WBPaper00032003 | |||
| WBPaper00031865 | |||||
| WBPaper00004574 | |||||
| WBPhenotype:0001269 | Paper_evidence | WBPaper00004574 | |||
| WBPhenotype:0001800 | Paper_evidence | WBPaper00031865 | |||
| GO_term | GO:0006952 | ||||
| GO:0098542 | |||||
| Reference (418) |
