Discrimination of self and nonself is one of the features of all animal species but the ways of elimination of nonself are different. Defense strategies of invertebrates, which lack antibodies and lymphocytes, are based on innate defense mechanisms. The study of such, undoubtedly less complex, defense mechanisms in invertebrates may shed a new light on the more sophisticated immunity of vertebrates. The main aim of this review is to show on one experimental model--an oligochaete annelid--cellular and humoral defense pathways protecting against microbial infection.

• MeSH
• Toxins, Biological MeSH
• Cytotoxins genetics   immunology   MeSH
• Hemolysin Proteins immunology   MeSH
• Lectins * MeSH
• Molecular Sequence Data MeSH
• Oligochaeta immunology   microbiology   physiology   MeSH
• Antigen Presentation MeSH
• Proteins chemistry   genetics   immunology   MeSH
• Amino Acid Sequence MeSH
• Sequence Alignment MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Check Tag
• Animals MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH
• Review MeSH
• Comparative Study MeSH
• Names of Substances
• Toxins, Biological MeSH
• coelomic cytolytic factor 1, Eisenia fetida MeSH Browser
• Cytotoxins MeSH
• fetidin MeSH Browser
• Hemolysin Proteins MeSH
• Lectins * MeSH
• lysenin MeSH Browser
• Proteins MeSH