CELLULAR IMMUNE MECHANISMS OF CORALS AND SEA ANEMONES

A brief overview of the research as listed on the website…..Innate immunity and mutualistic symbiosis are two fundamentally important, connected but opposing mechanisms for survival. For the host organism, innate immunity detects and destroys foreign pathogens, while mutualistic symbiosis allows the host to interact with foreign organisms in a mutually beneficial way. To maintain mutualistic symbiosis, the innate immune system must be able to distinguish between both self and “other” and, within other, between beneficial and pathogenic.