Invertebrates can distinguish good from bad bacteria

Researchers from Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf (HHU) and Kiel University (CAU) have examined immune system function in an early-branching animal—a sea anemone.

They discovered that the immune systems of these animals can selectively distinguish between different microorganisms, protecting beneficial bacteria from harmful bacteria—an ability that has been attributed only to vertebrates to date.

So-called "nematosomes" play an important role in this process. ...