AMPed up immunity: 418 whole genomes reveal intraspecific diversity of koala antimicrobial peptides.

ABSTRACT: Characterising functional diversity is a vital element to understanding a species' immune function, yet many immunogenetic studies in non-model organisms tend to focus on only one or two gene families such as the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) or toll-like receptors (TLR). Another interesting component of the eukaryotic innate immune system is the antimicrobial peptides (AMPs). The two major groups of mammalian AMPs are cathelicidins and defensins, with the former having undergone species-specific expansions in marsupials. Here, we utilised data from 418 koala whole genomes to undertake the first comprehensive analysis of AMP diversity across a mammalian wildlife species' range. Overall, allelic diversity was lower than other immune gene families such as MHC, suggesting that AMPs a

SUBMITTER: Petrohilos C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11711154 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature