Survival of earthworms in the environment depends on their ability to recognize and eliminate potential pathogens. This work is aimed to compare the innate defense mechanisms of two closely related earthworm species, Eisenia andrei and Eisenia fetida, that inhabit substantially different ecological niches. While E. andrei lives in a compost and manure, E. fetida can be found in the litter layer in forests. Therefore, the influence of environment-specific microbiota on the immune response of both species was followed. Firstly, a reliable method to discern between E. andrei and E. fetida based on species-specific primers for cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) and stringent PCR conditions was developed. Secondly, to analyze the immunological profile in both earthworm species, the activity and expression of lysozyme, pattern recognition protein CCF, and antimicrobial proteins with hemolytic function, fetidin and lysenins, have been assessed. Whereas, CCF and lysozyme showed only slight differences in the expression and activity, fetidin/lysenins expression as well as the hemolytic activity was considerably higher in E. andrei as compared to E. fetida. The expression of fetidin/lysenins in E. fetida was not affected upon the challenge with compost microbiota, suggesting more substantial changes in the regulation of the gene expression. Genomic DNA analyses revealed significantly higher level of fetidin/lysenins (determined using universal primer pairs) in E. andrei compared to E. fetida. It can be hypothesized that E. andrei colonizing compost as a new habitat acquired an evolutionary selection advantage resulting in a higher expression of antimicrobial proteins.

• MeSH
• Bacteria klasifikace   genetika   imunologie   MeSH
• biologické toxiny genetika   imunologie   MeSH
• cytotoxicita imunologická genetika   imunologie   MeSH
• druhová specificita MeSH
• ekosystém * MeSH
• exprese genu MeSH
• hemolýza genetika   imunologie   MeSH
• hnůj mikrobiologie   parazitologie   MeSH
• molekulární sekvence - údaje MeSH
• muramidasa genetika   imunologie   MeSH
• myši MeSH
• nádorové buněčné linie MeSH
• Oligochaeta klasifikace   genetika   imunologie   MeSH
• polymerázová řetězová reakce s reverzní transkripcí MeSH
• přirozená imunita genetika   imunologie   MeSH
• proteiny genetika   imunologie   MeSH
• půdní mikrobiologie MeSH
• respirační komplex IV genetika   MeSH
• sekvence nukleotidů MeSH
• sekvenční analýza DNA MeSH
• sekvenční homologie nukleových kyselin MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• myši MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• Názvy látek
• biologické toxiny MeSH
• fetidin MeSH Prohlížeč
• hnůj MeSH
• lysenin MeSH Prohlížeč
• muramidasa MeSH
• proteiny MeSH
• respirační komplex IV MeSH