Abstract
The transition of vertebrates from aquatic to terrestrial life, which occurred 400 million years ago during the Devonian Period, is one of the most important events in animal evolution. Lungfish, or dipnoans, are the living fish most closely related to terrestrial tetrapods, and their study is essential for understanding the terrestrialization and subsequent radiation of vertebrates into the many terrestrial ecosystems. These fish possess the largest animal genomes known to date, containing genes necessary for both aquatic and terrestrial life. The lungfish of Africa (Protopterus sp.) and South America (Lepidosiren paradoxa) can aestivate during dry seasons, entering a state of torpor in which many of their metabolic activities decrease and they breathe air. During aestivation, they are exposed to multiple microorganisms present in the surrounding mud. In the case of Protopterus sp., they exhibit a cocoon that acts as an immunological barrier containing granulocytes that develop neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs), which trap and control the multiple antimicrobial compounds present in the cocoon.
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