Bacteria-hemocyte Interactions and Phagocytosis in Marine Bivalves

Marine bivalves (such as mussels, oysters, and clams) are widespread mollusks in coastal waters at different latitudes; due to their filter-feeding habits, they accumulate large numbers of bacteria from the harvesting waters and may act as passive carriers of human pathogens. To cope with this challenge, bivalves possess both humoral and cellular defense mechanisms with remarkably effective capabilities. The circulating cells, or hemocytes, are primarily responsible for defense against parasites and pathogens; microbial killing results from the combined action of the phagocytic process with humoral defense factors such as agglutinins (e.g., lectins), lysosomal enzymes (e.g., acid phosphatase, lysozyme), toxic oxygen intermediates, and various antimicrobial peptides. In this work, current knowledge of the mechanisms underlying the interactions between bacteria and the hemolymph components of marine bivalves is summarized. Bacterial susceptibility to hemolymph killing in different bivalve species may be a consequence of the different ability of bacterial products to attract phagocytes, the presence or absence of specific opsonizing molecules, the hemocyte capability to bind and engulf different bacteria, and the different bacterial sensitivity to intracellular killing. The role of soluble (e.g., agglutinins and opsonins) and surface-bound factors in bacterial phagocytosis by hemocytes of the most common marine bivalve species is described and the possibility that environmental temperatures and other seasonal factors may influence this process is considered. Moreover, the potential strategies used by bacteria to evade phagocytic killing by hemocytes are discussed. From the available data it is clear that several questions need further investigation; the elucidation of the factors influencing phagocytosis in bivalves and the fundamental strategies used by bacteria to escape hemolymph killing are important not only to understand bivalve immune defenses but also to explain the persistence of pathogenic bacteria in bivalve tissues and to predict the consequent impact on human health.