Distinctive expression patterns of 185/333 genes in the purple sea urchin, Strongylocentrotus purpuratus : an unexpectedly diverse family of transcripts in response to LPS, β-1,3-glucan, and dsRNA

Background A diverse set of transcripts called 185/333 is strongly expressed in sea urchins responding to immune challenge. Optimal alignments of full-length 185/333 cDNAs requires the insertion of large gaps that define 25 blocks of sequence called elements. The presence or absence of individual elements also defines a specific element pattern for each message. Individual sea urchins were challenged with pathogen associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) (lipopolysaccharide, β-1,3-glucan, or double stranded RNA), and changes in the 185/333 message repertoire were followed over time.