Fig. 5

Graphical summary of the experimental results. The noble crayfish and the marbled crayfish were both exposed to two strains of the pathogen A. astaci, Hap B of high virulence and Hap A of low virulence. Both species showed immune response to A. astaci, although only for one strain. The immune system of the noble crayfish was activated in response to Hap B strain, while the immune system of the marbled crayfish was activated in response to Hap A strain. The utilised Hap A strain has coexisted with European noble crayfish for the past 70 years, and our results indicate that in that time frame it adapted to its new host. On the other hand, the Hap B strain, isolated from its original host in Lake Tahoe, shows a high adaptation to the invasive North American crayfish. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were divided in 4 groups: prophenoloxidase cascade related (ProPO), antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), pathogen recognition receptors (PRR) and Other. Enriched gene sets (based on the GSEA) were highlighted. Please refer to abbreviations for the full names of DEGs