Contact

All Stories

  1. SpEchinoidin, a C-type lectin and a member of an expanded CTL family, is up-regulated by phagocytes in sea urchins responding to immune challenge

    Article • Developmental & Comparative Immunology, July 2026, Elsevier

    Dr. L. Courtney Smith

  2. Ultrafiltration and Fluid Excretion in Echinoids Involves the Axial Organ with Elimination via the Intestine

    Article • Life, May 2025, MDPI AG

    Dr. L. Courtney Smith

  3. Recombinant SpTransformer proteins bind to specific sites on sea urchin phagocytes and modulate SpTransformer gene expression and immune responsiveness

    Article • Frontiers in Immunology, January 2025, Frontiers

    Dr. L. Courtney Smith

  4. The marine sponge, Hymeniacidon sinapium, displays allorecognition of siblings during post-larval settling and metamorphosis to juveniles

    Article • Developmental & Comparative Immunology, August 2024, Elsevier

    Dr. L. Courtney Smith

  5. Recombinant SpTransformer proteins are functionally diverse for binding and phagocytosis by three subtypes of sea urchin phagocytes

    Article • Frontiers in Immunology, April 2024, Frontiers

    Dr. L. Courtney Smith

  6. Local Genomic Instability of the SpTransformer Gene Family in the Purple Sea Urchin Inferred from BAC Insert Deletions

    Article • Genes, February 2024, MDPI AG

    Dr. L. Courtney Smith

  7. Spotting disease disrupts the microbiome of infected purple sea urchins, Strongylocentrotus purpuratus

    Article • BMC Microbiology, January 2024, Springer Science + Business Media

    Dr. L. Courtney Smith

  8. The echinoid complement system inferred from genome sequence searches

    Article • Developmental & Comparative Immunology, March 2023, Elsevier

    Dr. L. Courtney Smith

  9. Bald sea urchin disease shifts the surface microbiome on purple sea urchins in an aquarium

    Article • Pathogens and Disease, January 2023, Oxford University Press (OUP)

    Dr. L. Courtney Smith

  10. The complex set of internal repeats in SpTransformer protein sequences result in multiple but limited alternative alignments

    Article • Frontiers in Immunology, October 2022, Frontiers

    Dr. L. Courtney Smith

  11. Coelomocyte populations in the sea urchin, Strongylocentrotus purpuratus, undergo dynamic changes in response to immune challenge

    Article • Frontiers in Immunology, August 2022, Frontiers

    Dr. L. Courtney Smith

  12. Lipofection mediated transfection fails for sea urchin coelomocytes

    Article • PLOS One, May 2022, PLOS

    Dr. L. Courtney Smith

  13. A flow cytometry based approach to identify distinct coelomocyte subsets of the purple sea urchin, Strongylocentrotus purpuratus

    Article • Developmental & Comparative Immunology, May 2022, Elsevier

    Dr. L. Courtney Smith

  14. Echinoderm diseases and pathologies

    Article • February 2022, Oxford University Press (OUP)

    Dr. L. Courtney Smith

  15. Ecological outcomes of echinoderm disease, mass die-offs, and pandemics

    Article • February 2022, Oxford University Press (OUP)

    Dr. L. Courtney Smith

  16. Host defences of invertebrates to pathogens and parasites

    Article • February 2022, Oxford University Press (OUP)

    Dr. L. Courtney Smith

  17. Sequence Diversity, Locus Structure, and Evolutionary History of the SpTransformer Genes in the Sea Urchin Genome

    Article • Frontiers in Immunology, November 2021, Frontiers

    Dr. L. Courtney Smith

  18. Guardian of the Genome: An Alternative RAG/Transib Co-Evolution Hypothesis for the Origin of V(D)J Recombination

    Article • Frontiers in Immunology, July 2021, Frontiers

    Dr. L. Courtney Smith

  19. Individual Sea Urchin Coelomocytes Undergo Somatic Immune Gene Diversification

    Article • Frontiers in Immunology, June 2019, Frontiers

    Dr. L. Courtney Smith

  20. The Axial Organ and the Pharynx Are Sites of Hematopoiesis in the Sea Urchin

    Article • Frontiers in Immunology, April 2019, Frontiers

    Dr. L. Courtney Smith

  21. Methods for collection, handling, and analysis of sea urchin coelomocytes

    Article • January 2019, Elsevier

    Dr. L. Courtney Smith

  22. SpTransformer proteins from the purple sea urchin opsonize bacteria, augment phagocytosis, and retard bacterial growth

    Article • PLOS One, May 2018, PLOS

    Dr. L. Courtney Smith

  23. Echinodermata: The Complex Immune System in Echinoderms

    Article • January 2018, Springer Science + Business Media

    Dr. L. Courtney Smith

  24. The SpTransformer Gene Family (Formerly Sp185/333) in the Purple Sea Urchin and the Functional Diversity of the Anti-Pathogen rSpTransformer-E1 Protein

    Article • Frontiers in Immunology, June 2017, Frontiers

    Dr. L. Courtney Smith

  25. The Recombinant Sea Urchin Immune Effector Protein, rSpTransformer-E1, Binds to Phosphatidic Acid and Deforms Membranes

    Article • Frontiers in Immunology, May 2017, Frontiers

    Dr. L. Courtney Smith

  26. Multitasking Immune Sp185/333 Protein, rSpTransformer-E1, and Its Recombinant Fragments Undergo Secondary Structural Transformation upon Binding Targets

    Article • The Journal of Immunology, April 2017, The American Association of Immunologists

    Dr. L. Courtney Smith

  27. Short tandem repeats, segmental duplications, gene deletion, and genomic instability in a rapidly diversified immune gene family

    Article • BMC Genomics, November 2016, Springer Science + Business Media

    Dr. L. Courtney Smith

  28. A recombinant Sp185/333 protein from the purple sea urchin has multitasking binding activities towards certain microbes and PAMPs

    Article • Immunobiology, August 2016, Elsevier

    Dr. L. Courtney Smith

  29. Conference Report: The 13th Congress of the International Society of Developmental and Comparative Immunology

    Article • Developmental & Comparative Immunology, February 2016, Elsevier

    Dr. L. Courtney Smith

  30. Genomic Instability and Shared Mechanisms for Gene Diversification in Two Distant Immune Gene Families: The Plant NBS-LRR Genes and the Echinoid 185/333 Genes

    Article • January 2016, Elsevier

    Dr. L. Courtney Smith

  31. Research Highlight: rSp0032 has multitasking, anti-pathogen binding activities that predicts a flexible and effective immune response in sea urchins mediated by the Sp185/333 system

    Article • Pathogen & Infectious Disease, December 2015, Smart Science and Technology, LLC

    Dr. L. Courtney Smith

  32. Extraordinary Diversity of Immune Response Proteins among Sea Urchins: Nickel-Isolated Sp185/333 Proteins Show Broad Variations in Size and Charge

    Article • PLOS One, September 2015, PLOS

    Dr. L. Courtney Smith

  33. Bacterial and fungal pattern recognition receptors in homologous innate signaling pathways of insects and mammals

    Article • Frontiers in Microbiology, January 2015, Frontiers

    Dr. L. Courtney Smith

  34. Single Sea Urchin Phagocytes Express Messages of a Single Sequence from the DiverseSp185/333Gene Family in Response to Bacterial Challenge

    Article • The Journal of Immunology, December 2014, The American Association of Immunologists

    Dr. L. Courtney Smith

  35. Corrigendum to “Shotgun proteomics of coelomic fluid from the purple sea urchin, Strongylocentrotus purpuratus” [DCI 40 (1) (2013) 35–50]

    Article • Developmental & Comparative Immunology, July 2013, Elsevier

    Dr. L. Courtney Smith

  36. Shotgun proteomics of coelomic fluid from the purple sea urchin, Strongylocentrotus purpuratus

    Article • Developmental & Comparative Immunology, May 2013, Elsevier

    Dr. L. Courtney Smith

  37. Aggregation of Sea Urchin Phagocytes Is Augmented In Vitro by Lipopolysaccharide

    Article • PLOS One, April 2013, PLOS

    Dr. L. Courtney Smith

  38. TheSp185/333immune response genes and proteins are expressed in cells dispersed within all major organs of the adult purple sea urchin

    Article • Innate Immunity, February 2013, SAGE Publications

    Dr. L. Courtney Smith

  39. Innate immune complexity in the purple sea urchin: diversity of the Sp185/333 system

    Article • Frontiers in Immunology, January 2012, Frontiers

    Dr. L. Courtney Smith

  40. Invertebrate immune diversity

    Article • Developmental & Comparative Immunology, September 2011, Elsevier

    Dr. L. Courtney Smith

  41. An Sp185/333 gene cluster from the purple sea urchin and putative microsatellite-mediated gene diversification

    Article • BMC Genomics, October 2010, Springer Science + Business Media

    Dr. L. Courtney Smith

  42. SpTie1/2 is expressed in coelomocytes, axial organ and embryos of the sea urchin Strongylocentrotus purpuratus, and is an orthologue of vertebrate Tie1 and Tie2

    Article • Developmental & Comparative Immunology, August 2010, Elsevier

    Dr. L. Courtney Smith

  43. Diversification of innate immune genes: lessons from the purple sea urchin

    Article • Disease Models & Mechanisms, April 2010, The Company of Biologists

    Dr. L. Courtney Smith

  44. Sp185/333: A novel family of genes and proteins involved in the purple sea urchin immune response

    Article • Developmental & Comparative Immunology, March 2010, Elsevier

    Dr. L. Courtney Smith

  45. Two recombinant peptides, SpStrongylocins 1 and 2, from Strongylocentrotus purpuratus, show antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria

    Article • Developmental & Comparative Immunology, March 2010, Elsevier

    Dr. L. Courtney Smith

  46. Echinoderm Immunity

    Article • January 2010, Springer Science + Business Media

    Dr. L. Courtney Smith

  47. A method for identifying alternative or cryptic donor splice sites within gene and mRNA sequences. Comparisons among sequences from vertebrates, echinoderms and other groups

    Article • BMC Genomics, July 2009, Springer Science + Business Media

    Dr. L. Courtney Smith

  48. Highly Variable Immune-Response Proteins (185/333) from the Sea Urchin,Strongylocentrotus purpuratus: Proteomic Analysis Identifies Diversity within and between Individuals

    Article • The Journal of Immunology, February 2009, The American Association of Immunologists

    Dr. L. Courtney Smith

  49. Sequence Variations in 185/333 Messages from the Purple Sea Urchin Suggest Posttranscriptional Modifications to Increase Immune Diversity

    Article • The Journal of Immunology, December 2008, The American Association of Immunologists

    Dr. L. Courtney Smith

  50. The 185/333 Gene Family Is a Rapidly Diversifying Host-Defense Gene Cluster in the Purple Sea Urchin Strongylocentrotus purpuratus

    Article • Journal of Molecular Biology, June 2008, Elsevier

    Dr. L. Courtney Smith

  51. Localization and diversity of 185/333 proteins from the purple sea urchin – unexpected protein-size range and protein expression in a new coelomocyte type

    Article • Journal of Cell Science, February 2008, The Company of Biologists

    Dr. L. Courtney Smith

  52. Brief review of McDowell and Simon

    Article • Developmental & Comparative Immunology, January 2008, Elsevier

    Dr. L. Courtney Smith

  53. 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

    Article • BMC Molecular Biology, March 2007, Springer Science + Business Media

    Dr. L. Courtney Smith

  54. Extraordinary diversity among members of the large gene family, 185/333, from the purple sea urchin, Strongylocentrotus purpuratus

    Article • BMC Molecular Biology, January 2007, Springer Science + Business Media

    Dr. L. Courtney Smith

  55. The immune gene repertoire encoded in the purple sea urchin genome

    Article • Developmental Biology, December 2006, Elsevier

    Dr. L. Courtney Smith

  56. The Genome of the Sea Urchin Strongylocentrotus purpuratus

    Article • Science, November 2006, American Association for the Advancement of Science

    Dr Pedro Martinez, Dr Euan Robert Brown, Dr. L. Courtney Smith

  57. Genomic Insights into the Immune System of the Sea Urchin

    Article • Science, November 2006, American Association for the Advancement of Science

    Dr. L. Courtney Smith

  58. Unexpected diversity displayed in cDNAs expressed by the immune cells of the purple sea urchin,Strongylocentrotus purpuratus

    Article • Physiological Genomics, July 2006, American Physiological Society

    Dr. L. Courtney Smith

  59. Macroarray analysis of coelomocyte gene expression in response to LPS in the sea urchin. Identification of unexpected immune diversity in an invertebrate

    Article • Physiological Genomics, June 2005, American Physiological Society

    Dr. L. Courtney Smith

  60. Constitutive expression and alternative splicing of the exons encoding SCRs in Sp152, the sea urchin homologue of complement factor B. Implications on the evolution of the Bf/C2 gene family

    Article • Immunogenetics, September 2004, Springer Science + Business Media

    Dr. L. Courtney Smith

  61. The sea urchin complement homologue, SpC3, functions as an opsonin

    Article • Journal of Experimental Biology, May 2004, The Company of Biologists

    Dr. L. Courtney Smith

  62. Two cDNAs from the purple sea urchin, Strongylocentrotus purpuratus, encoding mosaic proteins with domains found in factor H, factor I, and complement components C6 and C7

    Article • Immunogenetics, April 2004, Springer Science + Business Media

    Dr. L. Courtney Smith

  63. The gene encoding the sea urchin complement protein, SpC3, is expressed in embryos and can be upregulated by bacteria

    Article • Developmental & Comparative Immunology, June 2003, Elsevier

    Dr. L. Courtney Smith

  64. Workshop report: evolutionary immunobiology—new approaches, new paradigms

    Article • Developmental & Comparative Immunology, April 2003, Elsevier

    Dr. L. Courtney Smith

  65. Evolutionary immunobiology: new approaches, new paradigms

    Article • Developmental & Comparative Immunology, April 2003, Elsevier

    Dr. L. Courtney Smith

  66. Thioester function is conserved in SpC3, the sea urchin homologue of the complement component C3

    Article • Developmental & Comparative Immunology, September 2002, Elsevier

    Dr. L. Courtney Smith

  67. The ancestral complement system in sea urchins

    Article • Immunological Reviews, April 2001, Wiley

    Dr. L. Courtney Smith

  68. Origin and Evolution of the Vertebrate Immune System. L. Du Pasquier , G. W. Litman

    Article • The Quarterly Review of Biology, March 2001, University of Chicago Press

    Dr. L. Courtney Smith

  69. The Complement System in Sea Urchins

    Article • January 2001, Springer Science + Business Media

    Dr. L. Courtney Smith

  70. Expression of SpC3, the sea urchin complement component, in response to lipopolysaccharide

    Article • Immunogenetics, October 2000, Springer Science + Business Media

    Dr. L. Courtney Smith

  71. SpC3, the complement homologue from the purple sea urchin, Strongylocentrotus purpuratus , is expressed in two subpopulations of the phagocytic coelomocytes

    Article • Immunogenetics, October 2000, Springer Science + Business Media

    Dr. L. Courtney Smith

  72. L.C. Smith, C. Baier-Anderson, L.A. Clow, D.P. Terwilliger and C.M. Adema. Conference report.

    Article • Developmental & Comparative Immunology, September 2000, Elsevier

    Dr. L. Courtney Smith

  73. Meeting review: Mid Atlantic Society of Developmental and Comparative Immunology

    Article • Developmental & Comparative Immunology, January 2000, Elsevier

    Dr. L. Courtney Smith

  74. Erratum

    Article • Developmental & Comparative Immunology, September 1999, Elsevier

    Dr. L. Courtney Smith

  75. Echinoderm immunity and the evolution of the complement system

    Article • Developmental & Comparative Immunology, June 1999, Elsevier

    Dr. L. Courtney Smith

  76. Complement systems in invertebrates. The ancient alternative and lectin pathways

    Article • Immunopharmacology, May 1999, Elsevier

    Dr. L. Courtney Smith

  77. HP7 The sea urchin complement C3 protein: Expression and function

    Article • Developmental & Comparative Immunology, March 1997, Elsevier

    Dr. L. Courtney Smith

  78. Lipopolysaccharide activates the sea urchin immune system

    Article • Developmental & Comparative Immunology, May 1995, Elsevier

    Dr. L. Courtney Smith

  79. The sea urchin profilin gene is specifically expressed in mesenchyme cells during gastrulation

    Article • Developmental Biology, August 1994, Elsevier

    Dr. L. Courtney Smith

  80. The Echinoderm Immune System

    Article • Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, April 1994, Wiley

    Dr. L. Courtney Smith

  81. Ligand-dependent stimulation of introduced mammalian brain receptors alters spicule symmetry and other morphogenetic events in sea urchin embryos

    Article • Mechanisms of Development, January 1994, Elsevier

    Dr. L. Courtney Smith

  82. Reply by Smith and Davidson

    Article • Immunology Today, February 1993, Elsevier

    Dr. L. Courtney Smith

  83. The echinoid immune system and the phylogenetic occurrence of immune mechanisms in deuterostomes

    Article • Immunology Today, September 1992, Elsevier

    Dr. L. Courtney Smith

  84. SpCoel1: a sea urchin profilin gene expressed specifically in coelomocytes in response to injury.

    Article • Molecular Biology of the Cell, April 1992, American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB)

    Dr. L. Courtney Smith

  85. A gene (Spcoel) expressed in sea urchin coelomocytes shows an increase in transcripts after immune challenge

    Article • Developmental & Comparative Immunology, January 1991, Elsevier

    Dr. L. Courtney Smith

  86. The Role of Mesohyl Cells in Sponge Allograft Rejections

    Article • January 1988, Springer Science + Business Media

    Dr. L. Courtney Smith

  87. Report from the I.S.D.C.I. committee on graduate student/post-doctoral affairs

    Article • Developmental & Comparative Immunology, December 1986, Elsevier

    Dr. L. Courtney Smith

  88. Allogeneic cell interactions during graft rejection inCallyspongia diffusa(Porifera, Demospongia); a study with monoclonal antibodies

    Article • Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B Biological Sciences, January 1986, Royal Society Publishing

    Dr. L. Courtney Smith

  89. Allograft rejection, autograft fusion and inflammatory responses to injury inCallyspongia diffusa(Porifera; Demospongia)

    Article • Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B Biological Sciences, January 1986, Royal Society Publishing

    Dr. L. Courtney Smith