William E. Browne
Associate Professor
Scientific Director, National Aplysia Resource
Biology College of Arts and Sciences
w.browne@miami.edu
Among marine phyla, ctenophores or ”comb jellies”, represent the most ancient branch of the animal tree of life. The emergence of immunity, the ability to recognize self vs non-self, is integral to the evolution of animal multicellularity. The innate immune system, which includes immune cells and inflammatory molecules, represents the first line of defense against invading pathogens and plays a central role in initiating repair of tissue damage and also protection against tumorigenicity. In humans, the dysregulation of innate immune responses is causally associated with chronic inflammatory diseases and autoimmune disorders. The Browne Lab uses the model ctenophore, Mnemiopsis leidyi, to shed light on the early evolution of innate immunity in animals by applying molecular genetic, cell biological and whole organism experimental approaches. The Lab’s work characterizing immune cells and their responses to pathogens seeks to reveal both conserved and novel aspects of pathogen defense mechanisms and immune cell type specification. For example, their recent work identified ETosis as a deeply conserved metazoan defense against pathogens. Mnemiopsis habitat includes warm water harbors and estuaries that are often polluted with highly pathogenic microbes, including choleragenic and flesh-eating forms of zoonotic gram-negative Vibrio, significant E. coli exposure, and pathogenic marine fungal species. Characterization of novel Mnemiopsis immune cell responses to coastal waterborne microbial pathogens may inform AMP based antibiotic/antimicrobial design, with potential therapeutic applications.
Keywords: ctenophores, comb jellies, evolution, innate immunity, microbial pathogens, anti-microbial design
