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Enhanced antibacterial activity in Hydra polyps lacking nerve cells
Shinji Kasahara1, Thomas C G Bosch
1Laboratory of Comparative Immunology, Department of Neurobiology, UCLA Medical Center, 90095-1763, Los Angeles, CA, USA
Developmental and Comparative Immunology
|January 25, 2003
Abstract:
The nervous system evolved within cnidarians. When assessing antibacterial activity in the freshwater polyp Hydra, we observed a strong correlation between the number of neurons present and the antibacterial activity. Tissue lacking neurons had a drastically enhanced antibacterial activity against Gram-positive (Bacillus subtilis) and Gram-negative (E. coli) bacteria compared to control tissue. The results indicate direct and strong neural influences on immunity in the phylogenetically oldest animals having a nervous system.