Department of Biological Sciences
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Nolwenn Dheilly, PhD CandidateHypervariable defense proteins in sea urchins |
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Project description |
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The immune systems of invertebrates differ from those of mammals. Invertebrates lack antibodies, which are the molecules used by mammals to detect invading micro-organisms. Antibodies exhibit extreme structural diversity. This allows them to target a wide range of different microbes with great precision. Because invertebrates lack antibodies, it had been assumed that their immune systems rely on far less variable defensive molecules that cannot discriminate between different types of infection. The aim of my project is to study an entirely new class of defensive proteins from sea-urchins, known as purpuratins, that exhibit extreme structural diversity. Thousands of different purpuratin variants are produced by sea urchins in response to microbial infection. Preliminary evidence suggests that purpuratin proteins are deployed on the surface of defensive blood cells, where they may be involved in the destruction of pathogens by phagocytosis. In this context, we believe that their extreme structural variability tailors purpuratins to attack a broad range of microbes with great precision. This study will investigate the antimicrobial activities of purpuratins and test whether their extraordinary molecular diversity is used to fine tune reactions against specific pathogens.
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