Evolutionary trade-offs constraining the MHC gene expansion: beyond simple TCR depletion model.

ABSTRACT: The immune system is as much shaped by the pressure of pathogens as it is by evolutionary trade-offs that constrain its structure and function. A perfect example comes from the major histocompatibility complex (MHC), molecules that initiate adaptive immune response by presentation of foreign antigens to T cells. The remarkable, population-level polymorphism of MHC genes is assumed to result mainly from a co-evolutionary arms race between hosts and pathogens, while the limited, within-individual number of functional MHC loci is thought to be the consequence of an evolutionary trade-off between enhanced pathogen recognition and excessive T cell depletion during negative selection in the thymus. Certain mathematical models and infection studies suggest that an intermediate individual MHC dive

SUBMITTER: Migalska M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10801004 | biostudies-literature | 2023

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature