Role of PMK-1/p38 MAPK defense in Caenorhabditis elegans against Klebsiella pneumoniae infection during host-pathogen interaction.

The present study reports that Klebsiella pneumoniae (KP) killed the Caenorhabditis elegans as a consequence of an accumulation and proliferation of the pathogen inside the worms' intestine. The real-time PCR analysis of the genes responsible for vulval development (let-23) and egg laying (lin-29) in KP infected C. elegans confirmed the reproductive defects provoked by KP at the molecular level. In addition, the genetic analysis in N2 wild type, tol-1, sek-1 and pmk-1 mutants unveiled that KP attenuates the toll-dependent p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK) by chiefly inhibiting the production of antimicrobial factors such as nlp-29, lys-1 and C-type lectins. Conclusively, the surrendering of the host immune system appears to be attenuated by the toll-dependent p38 MAPK pathway regulation in C. elegans.