Functional profiles of skin mucus in bivalve mollusks involved in a surface barrier against bacterial infection

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Shellfish belongs to the phylum Mollusca and is mainly comprised of bivalves and gastropods. The Phylum Mollusca is one of the largest and numerous groups in the animal kingdom. Shellfish and microorganisms coexist in the biosphere in numerous ways. Thus, bivalves have evolved sensitive mechanisms for recognizing pathogens and an array of strategies to defend themselves against attacks by microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi, and parasites. An oft-asked question is how invertebrates including shellfish survive against pathogenic microorganisms without an adaptive immune system. Indeed, invertebrates do not have lymphocytes and do not produce antibodies. Thus, we have investigated that skin mucus from mantle and gill functions as a surface barrier against bacterial infection.