The mytiliculture is one of the most important aquaculture in the world, however, little is known on the mussel immune system, which plays a critical role in case of infectious diseases. Like all the other invertebrates, our model, the Mediterranean mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis, possesses only an innate immune system considered to be primitive and non-specific. In the present study, our results showed that the mussel immune system (i) is capable of responding differently to a variety of stimulations, suggesting a specific recognition process; (ii) reacts differently according to the geographic origin of the animals, showing an adaptation to their own environment; (iii) is influenced by the season, which explains the seasonal mortalities; (iv) presents... |