Along with FBCD1, the upregulated gene Interleukin-1 receptor-associated kinase 4 (IRAK4) after macroalgal-DOM feeding could have played a critical role in initiating innate immune response against foreign pathogens, because its overexpression activates nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB), which regulates the immune response to infections [99]. This evidence concerns the gene IRAK4 and infection.