Transcription regulatory networks in Caenorhabditis elegans

lys-7 encodes an enzyme homologous to an antimicrobial lysozyme encoded by the LYS4 gene of the protozoan parasite Entamoeba histolytica; by homology, LYS-7 is predicted to function as an antimicrobial enzyme that hydrolyzes the 1,4-beta-linkages between N-acetyl-D-glucosamine and N-acetylmuramic acid in peptidoglycan heteropolymers of prokaryotic cell walls; in C. elegans, lys-7 expression is significantly upregulated in response to infection with the Gram-negative bacterium Serratia marcescens, indicating that LYS-7 likely plays a role in the innate immune response; constitutive expression of lys-7 mRNA is detected in the intestine and the intestinal valve cells.