You have discovered a new species of sea squirt and you have named it Seasquirtus laker...

You have discovered a new species of sea squirt and you have named it Seasquirtus laker after your alma mater. Sea squirts feed by sucking water through a tube into the pharynx, and then into the stomach. This water not only contains nutrition, but also potential toxins and microbes from the environment. As an immunologist, you are curious about how S. laker protects itself from environmental threats.

What are 3 different mechanisms that S. laker might prevent microbial infection or toxin exposure during feeding? Briefly explain. Describe how you would experimentally test whether S. laker uses this mechanism.

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Expert Solution

Sea squirts have sustained the evolution of host-microbial interactions.

The sea squirts are protected by conserved mechanisms of innate immunity like barrier defenses ( host (mucosal) epithelium) and non-specific secretory components (e.g., antibacterial peptides), PRRs present on the phagocytes surface .

The three defence mechanism that they use as their defence mechanism is :

a. The nature of host selection of gut microbiota

b. Role of microbiota in immune homeostasis

c. Role of diet in gut microbial ecology.

Naturally in the guts of sea squirts, a thin layer of mucous protects the rest of the body from harmful bacteria.

The histological and molecular characterizations of the complex barrier defense can be opted to identify innate immune genes and self defence mechanisms.

The histological and molecular characterizations of the complex barrier defense can be opted for identification of innate immune genes and self defence mechanisms. Samples from whole gut homogenates and/or from recovered fecal matter can be obtained using PCR-amplification of 16S ribosomal genes. Characterization of 16S products by individual clones sequencing and by screening of RFLP can be carried out to test defence mechanism used by sea squirts.

Sydney Mullin answered 1 year ago

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