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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2015 Feb 1.
Published in final edited form as: Semin Immunol. 2014 May 21;26(4):303–309. doi: 10.1016/j.smim.2014.04.005

Figure 4. Non-conventional roles of the innate immunity.

Figure 4

Recently, a non-conventional function of the innate immune response as integrator linking cell autonomous damage to the induction of systemic stress resistance was identified in C. elegans. Germline DNA damage led to the activation of immune genes in the germline of the nematode that depended on the MPK-1/ERK MAP kinase activity. The innate immune response resulted in pathogen resistance and activation of the ubiquitin proteasome system (UPS) in peripheral tissues. The UPS activation was responsible for the enhanced tolerance of nematodes to heat and oxidative stress. Interestingly, similar stress resistance could be achieved by transient feeding of worms with immunogenic bacteria. The latter effect was dependent on the PMK-1/p38 kinase activity.