2021/04/20 by Lage Cerenius, Kenneth Söderhäll · 1 citation
Immunology and Microbiology · Agricultural and Biological Sciences · #Invertebrate Immune Response Mechanisms #Insect symbiosis and bacterial influences #Aquaculture disease management and microbiota
paper · pdf · doi:10.1016/j.dci.2021.104098
openalex publication_date 2021/04/20 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/04
Melanin production from different types of phenoloxidases (POs) confers immunity from a variety of pathogens ranging from viruses and microorganisms to parasites. The arthropod proPO expresses a variety of activities including cytokine, opsonin and microbiocidal activities independent of and even without melanin production. Proteolytic processing of proPO and its activating enzyme gives rise to several peptide fragments with a variety of separate activities in a process reminiscent of vertebrate complement system activation although proPO bears no sequence similarity to vertebrate complement factors. Pathogens influence proPO activation and thereby what types of immune effects that will be produced. An increasing number of specialised pathogens - from parasites to viruses - have been identified who can synthesise compounds specifically aimed at the proPO-system. In invertebrates outside the arthropods phylogenetically unrelated POs are participating in melanization reactions obviously aimed at intruders and/or aberrant tissues.