ИСТИНА

Organization and functioning of immune system remains one of the least studied problems in invertebrate physiology. Comparative investigation of immune reacting in different phylogenetic groups of invertebrate animals is important for understanding of the immunity evolutionary patterns. Arenicola marina, the marine lugworm, is a common annelid species of cold-watered seas tidal zone. These worms are relatively large (length up to 15 cm) and their coelomic fluid contains great numbers of coelomocytes. These features make A. marina a convenient object for the experimental work. We studied morphology of A. marina coelomocytes, their ability to perform phagocytosis and encapsulation of different foreign bodies using light, transmission, scanning and confocal microscopy. We also performed primarily investigations on the changes in the ubiquitin-proteasomal system of these cells during the experimental inflammation. Our results create the basis for further experiments on this species.