Host-pathogen Interactions in C. elegans: The Role of Calcineurin in Innate Immunity

Abstract

Abstract Host-pathogen Interactions in C. elegans: The Role of Calcineurin in Innate Immunity

Raymond Febus Department of Life Science The Graduate School Hanyang University

The innate immune system has been well studied in mammals. Simple organisms such as C. elegans have what appears to be a simple innate immune system based on protein activation, kinases, and specific signaling pathways. Calcineurin plays a crucial role in mammalian adaptive immune system, by helping to regulate T-cell proliferation and development. There are two subunits to calcineurin, subunit A and B, there are also few known substrates for calcineurin. I investigated the loss of function and gain of function mutants for calcineurin subunit A and B as well as some of the known substrates to try to determine what role calcineurin plays in the immune system of C. elegans. From studying life span assays on different pathogenic and nonpathogenic bacteria, a possible role of calcineurin and its subunits are shown during an immune response in C. elegans. Further studies will need to be explored to map out the exact role that calcineurin plays in the innate immune system, as well as any differences in calcineurin role in gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria.

Key words: C. elegans, calcium binding proteins, calcineurin, innate immunity, pathogenic bacteria.