Invertebrates can distinguish good from bad bacteria
Researchers from Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf (HHU) and Kiel University (CAU) have examined immune system function in an early-branching animal-a sea anemone. They discovered that the immune systems of these animals can selectively distinguish between different microorganisms, protecting beneficial bacteria from harmful bacteria-an ability that has been attributed only to vertebrates to date. So-called "nematosomes" play an important role in this process.
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