Main description:

E. L. Cooper The Immunodefense System Because invertebrates are exceedingly diverse and numerous, estimates reveal nearly 2 million species classified in more than 20 phyla from unicellular organisms up to the complex, multicellular protostomes and deuterostomes. It is not surprising to find less diverse defense/immune responses whose effector mechanisms remain to be completely elucidated. Of course, I am not advocating that the few of us devoted to analyzing invertebrate immunity attempt the Herculean task of examining all these species to uncover some kind of unique response! As these two volumes will reveal, we are doing fairly well in examining in depth only the most miniscule examples of invertebrates, some of which have great effects on human populations such as edible crustaceans or insect pests. This is in striking contrast to the mass of information on the mammalian immune response which has been derived essentially from the mouse, a member of one phylum, Vertebrata, an approach, reductionist to be sure, but one that has served well both the technological and conceptual advances of immunology as a disci pline. The essential framework of immunology, the overwhelming burst of results since the 1960s, have emanated primarily from this single animal. We should not forget the thymus and the bird's bursa of Fabricius, without which we might have been slower to recognize the bipartite T /B system.

Contents:

Cells: The Basic Immunodefense Armentarium.- 1 The Immunocytes of Protostomes and Deuterostomes as Revealed by LM, EM and Other Methods.- 1 Introduction.- 2 Immune Mechanism and Immunocytes.- 3 Cells Participating in Immune Reactions.- 4 Phylogenic Lineages of Immunocytes.- 5 Various Approaches to Immunocytes.- 6 Problems and Possible Solutions.- References.- 2 Mechanisms of Antigen Processing in Invertebrates: Are There Receptors?.- 1 Introduction.- 2 General Armamentarium of Earthworm Natural Resistance.- 3 Adaptive Response to Antigenic Stimulation.- 4 Coelomocyte Superficial Molecules.- 5 Concluding Remarks.- References.- Cell Products: Natural and Induced as Revealed by Non-specific and Specific Responses Following Antigenic Challenge.- 3 The Prophenoloxidase Activating System: A Common Defence Pathway for Deuterostomes and Protostomes?.- 1 Introduction.- 2 The Prophenoloxidase Activating System in Arthropods.- 3 Phenoloxidase Activity in Other Protostome Groups.- 4 Phenoloxidase Activity in Deuterostome Invertebrates.- 5 Discussion: the pro PO System in Host Defence and Immune Phylogeny.- 6 Conclusions and Future Perspectives.- 7 Acknowledgements.- References.- 4 A Definition of Cytolytic Responses in Invertebrates.- 1 Introduction.- 2 Invertebrate Lytic Activities.- 3 Cell-Target Susceptibility.- 4 Species-to-Species and Individual Variability.- 5 The Hemolytic Reaction.- 6 Membrane Binding and Damage.- 7 Induction and Regulation.- 8 Hemolytic Molecules.- 9 Hemolysin-Producing Cells and Granules.- 10 Relationship with Cytotoxicity.- 11 Are Hemolysins Ancestor Immune Molecules?.- 12 Final Comment.- References.- 5 The Immunoglobulin Superfamily: Where Do Invertebrates Fit In?.- 1 Introduction.- 2 Molecular Architecture of the Ig Fold.- 3 When Did Ig Appear in Evolution?.- 4 When Did the TCR and MHC Appear in Evolution?.- 5 The Origin of Peptide-Binding Domains of MHC Molecules.- 6 The Ig Superfamily in Invertebrates.- 7 The Ig Superfamily in Microorganisms.- 8 The Immune System vs the Nervous System.- 9 Strategy for the Development of Self-Defense Systems in the Animal Kingdom.- 10 The Origin of Polymorphic Molecules: a Hypothesis.- 11 The Ig Superfamily in Perspective.- References.- 6 Insect Hemolymph Proteins from the Ig Superfamily.- 1 Introduction.- 2 Properties of Hemolin.- 3 Regulation of Hemolin Expression.- 4 Sequence Analysis of Hemolin.- 5 Possible Functions of Hemolin.- 6 Conclusion.- References.- 7 The Interface Between Invertebrates and Vertebrates: Complement vs Ig.- 1 Introduction.- 2 Humoral Immunity in the Agnatha.- 3 Structural Characterization of the Hagfish "Antibody".- 4 Functional Properties of Hagfish Complement-Like Protein.- 5 Complement in the Agnatha.- 6 Chemotaxis in the Hagfish.- 7 Conclusion.- References.