Modeling Host-Pathogen Interactions in C. elegans: Lessons Learned from Pseudomonas aeruginosa Infection

Int J Mol Sci. 2024 Jun 27;25(13):7034. doi: 10.3390/ijms25137034.

Abstract

Infections, such as that by the multiresistant opportunistic bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa, may pose a serious health risk, especially on vulnerable patient populations. The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans provides a simple organismal model to investigate both pathogenic mechanisms and the emerging role of innate immunity in host protection. Here, we review the virulence and infection strategies of P. aeruginosa and host defenses of C. elegans. We summarize the recognition mechanisms of patterns of pathogenesis, including novel pathogen-associated molecular patterns and surveillance immunity of translation, mitochondria, and lysosome-related organelles. We also review the regulation of antimicrobial and behavioral defenses by the worm's neuroendocrine system. We focus on how discoveries in this rich field align with well-characterized evolutionary conserved protective pathways, as well as on potential crossovers to human pathogenesis and innate immune responses.

Keywords: cytoprotective stress responses; innate immunity; lysosome-related organelles; mitochondria; neuroendocrine regulation; pathogen metabolite checkpoint; pathogen recognition; surveillance immunity; virulence factors.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Caenorhabditis elegans* / immunology
  • Caenorhabditis elegans* / microbiology
  • Disease Models, Animal
  • Host-Pathogen Interactions* / immunology
  • Humans
  • Immunity, Innate*
  • Pseudomonas Infections* / immunology
  • Pseudomonas Infections* / microbiology
  • Pseudomonas aeruginosa* / pathogenicity
  • Virulence