In this Review, Tse-Kang, Wani and Pukkila-Worley discuss how nematodes, such as Caenorhabditis elegans, rely on ‘patterns of pathogenesis’ as opposed to the sensing of specific ligands by pattern-recognition receptors to activate innate immune responses. They explain why this approach to immune surveillance is beneficial to C. elegans and consider how studies in C. elegans can inform our understanding of mammalian immunity.
- Samantha Tse-Kang
- Khursheed A. Wani
- Read Pukkila-Worley