Antibacterial activity of Eisenia fetida andrei coelomic fluid: transcription and translation regulation of lysozyme and proteins evidenced after bacterial infestation.

1. After bacterial infestation lysozyme and antibacterial activities are enhanced, peaking at 4 hr and 3 days, respectively. 2. Both humoral defenses require RNA and protein de novo synthesis in response to pathogenic bacteria injection (actinomycin D and cycloheximide experiments). 3. Antibacterial activity exists naturally at some basic level, involving regular translation of stable RNAs. 4. When antibacterial activity reaches its maximum after bacterial injection, proteins responsible for it undergo a turn-over. 5. Lysozyme and antibacterial proteins cannot account for the whole response to bacterial infestation; some cellular defense mechanisms like phagocytosis are involved at the same time.