THE EVOLUTION OF INNATE IMMUNITY IN THE LOBATE CTENOPHORE, MNEMIOPSIS LEIDY
A central goal in evolutionary developmental biology is to understand how diverse animal cell types have evolved. The innate immune system, which includes immune cells and inflammatory molecules, represents the first line of defense against invading pathogens. The emergence of immunity, the ability to recognize self vs non-self, is integral to the evolution of multicellular life. This project uses recently developed genetic techniques to characterize immune cells and their responses to pathogens in a model ctenophore. The ctenophores, or ”comb jellies,” represent one of the most ancient branches of the animal tree of life. The data produced by this project will shed light on the early evolution of immunity in animals.
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