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

贝类属于软体动物门，主要由双壳类和腹足类组成。软体动物门是动物王国中最大、数量最多的群体之一。贝类和微生物以多种方式共存于生物圈中。因此，双壳类动物已经进化出了识别病原体的敏感机制和一系列保护自己免受细菌、真菌和寄生虫等微生物攻击的策略。一个经常被问到的问题是，包括贝类在内的无脊椎动物如何在没有适应性免疫系统的情况下对抗病原微生物生存。事实上，无脊椎动物没有淋巴细胞，也不会产生抗体。因此，我们研究了皮肤粘膜作为表面屏障的作用，防止细菌感染。

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.