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| Actions of Complement and Lysozyme in Clearance of Bacterium Escherichia coli in Amphioxus |
| WANG Guangfeng,ZHANG Shicui |
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Abstract It remains unknown to date about the mechanism that pathogens are eliminated from amphioxus (Branchiostoma belcheri) lacking free circulating blood cells even though amphioxus is widely used as the model organism for evolution and development research .The bacterium clearance dynamics in amphioxus were studied in vivo and in vitro by lysis of Escherichia coli ,inhibition of lytic activity with the specific antibodies ,and western blot .It was found that the amphioxus was capable of efficiently eliminating the invading bacterium Escherichia coli and that the humoral fluids can readily lyse the bacterium in v itro . Both complement and lysozyme were shown to be involved in the elimination in vivo of the invading bacteria in amphioxus and to act in concert against the invading bacteria , the complement playing a stronger role than the lysozyme doing . Western blot showed that both C3α and lysozyme levels were increased with the challenge with E .coli .This is the first report addressing the factors responsible for the clearance in v ivo of invading bacteria in amphioxus .
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Received: 25 September 2013
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