Characterization of avian β-defensin genes in Galliformes reveals widespread evolutionary diversification and distinct evolutionary relationships with infection risk.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Avian β-defensins (AvBDs) represent a key family of antimicrobial host defense peptides in birds. Accumulating evidence suggests that the evolutionary trajectory of β-defensin genes is specific to the gene, timescale, and species involved, implying that species-specific ecological and life-history differences drive divergent selective pressures on these genes. However, their evolutionary dynamics, particularly the interactions with ecological factors and life-history traits, remain insufficiently explored.

Results

Through a comprehensive survey of 25 species spanning all major clades of Galliformes, 354 AvBD genes were identified. Comparative sequence analysis, genomic organization, and phylogenetic studies collectively reveal significant evolutionary diversificat

SUBMITTER: Xu X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11874394 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature