Evolutionary origin of peptidoglycan recognition proteins in vertebrate innate immune system.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Innate immunity is the ancient defense system of multicellular organisms against microbial infection. The basis of this first line of defense resides in the recognition of unique motifs conserved in microorganisms, and absent in the host. Peptidoglycans, structural components of bacterial cell walls, are recognized by Peptidoglycan Recognition Proteins (PGRPs). PGRPs are present in both vertebrates and invertebrates. Although some evidence for similarities and differences in function and structure between them has been found, their evolutionary history and phylogenetic relationship have remained unclear. Such studies have been severely hampered by the great extent of sequence divergence among vertebrate and invertebrate PGRPs. Here we investigate the birth and death proc

SUBMITTER: Montano AM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3071341 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature