Identifiering av LPS-bindning till cellytor hos olika blodkroppstyper i sötvattenskräfta

Sammanfattning: Both vertebrates and invertebrates use an innate system to recognise and fight pathogens such as bacteria. In this study, I focus on the methods the freshwater crayfish Pacifastacus leniusculus possess to inhibit the Gram-negative bacteria via LPS-recognition. Previous research has shown that this crayfish has certain proteins that can bind LPS, and that its bloodcells, the haemocytes, have an important role in this. However, scientists have yet to find evidence that LPS can bind the outside of these cells, similar to LPS-binding in humans. By bleeding crayfish and treating the cells with a primary and secondary antibody I could observe LPS-binding to the outside of granular haemocytes. This suggests there might be a protein positioned in or on the membrane of these types of cells that can bind LPS, which initiates the defence mechanisms.