“…The cellular reactions in the tunic involve hemocyte infiltration, haemocyte proliferation and epidermis activities, vacuolization and cell disruption, while cell products can contribute to form capsule components and/or cause a tunic wound (Parrinello, 1981;Parrinello et al, 1984aParrinello et al, , 1984b. In this response the involvement of the pharynx, as the main immune-competent organ, has been disclosed by the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) challenge that upregulates innate immunity genes in hemocytes Vizzini et al, 2008Vizzini et al, , 2012Vizzini et al, , 2013aVizzini et al, , 2013bVizzini et al, , 2015aVizzini et al, , 2015b.…”