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Pathogens represent a universal threat to other living organisms. Most organisms express antimicrobial proteins and peptides, such as lysozymes, as a protection against these challenges. The nematode  Caenorhabditis elegans  harbours 15 phylogenetically diverse lysozyme genes, belonging to two distinct types, the protist- or Entamoeba-type ( lys  genes) and the invertebrate-type ( ilys  genes) lysozymes. In the present study we characterized the role of several protist-type lysozyme genes in defence against a nematocidal strain of the Gram-positive bacterium  Bacillus thuringiensis . Based on microarray and subsequent qRT-PCR gene expression analysis, we identified protist-type lysozyme genes as one of the differentially transcribed gene classes after infection. A functional genetic analysis was performed for three of these genes, each belonging to a distinct evolutionary lineage within the protist-type lysozymes ( lys-2 ,  lys-5 , and  lys-7 ). Their knock-out led to decreased pathogen resistance in all three cases, while an increase in resistance was observed when two out of three tested genes were overexpressed in transgenic lines ( lys-5 ,  lys-7 , but not  lys-2 ). We conclude that the lysozyme genes  lys-5 ,  lys-7 , and possibly  lys-2  contribute to resistance against  B. thuringiensis , thus highlighting the particular role of lysozymes in the nematode's defence against pathogens.

Protist-Type Lysozymes of the Nematode Caenorhabditis elegans Contribute to Resistance against Pathogenic Bacillus thuringiensis