A comparative genomics analysis of the vertebrate immune system : genes, pathways and evolution

Abstract

All species possess a selection-honed collection of genes whose products function in unison to form a barricade to invading pathogens. The exponential increase in publicly available sequence data has allowed the application of bioinformatics approaches to explore the conservation and variation of immune genes when compared between species. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are important effector molecules of the immune response. Intra and inter genomic analysis indicates that, although AMPs are evolutionarily conserved across species, subgroups of gene lineages exist that are specific to certain species. We applied a Hidden Markov Model (HMM) profile search method to identification of the β-defensin family of AMPs in cattle and characterised the most greatly expanded gene family of any mammal thus far examined.