Print Close WindowInvertebrates are vectors of human disease and serve as important crop pollinators as well as agricultural pests. Our lives depend upon our interactions with the invertebrates in many ways and it is critical for us to understand how these animals interact with the microbial world. In addition to this basic biological need to understand invertebrates, it has become clear in recent years there are many similarities between vertebrates and invertebrates and that these similarities can teach us about our own bodies. These comparisons extend to the innate immune response and include several conserved signaling pathways, effector mechanisms as well as parallels in disease pathogenesis. Whole genome comparisons and population studies have led to novel insights into the evolutionary forces that shape innate immune systems and the ecological factors behind those changes. The aim of this theme issue is to highlight how spineless model organisms reveal the influence of conservative as well as innovative evolutionary forces that shape innate immune repertoires.
Copyright© 2012 S. Karger AG, Basel