Evolution of male pregnancy associated with remodeling of canonical vertebrate immunity in seahorses and pipefishes.

ABSTRACT: A fundamental problem for the evolution of pregnancy, the most specialized form of parental investment among vertebrates, is the rejection of the nonself-embryo. Mammals achieve immunological tolerance by down-regulating both major histocompatibility complex pathways (MHC I and II). Although pregnancy has evolved multiple times independently among vertebrates, knowledge of associated immune system adjustments is restricted to mammals. All of them (except monotremata) display full internal pregnancy, making evolutionary reconstructions within the class mammalia meaningless. Here, we study the seahorse and pipefish family (syngnathids) that have evolved male pregnancy across a gradient from external oviparity to internal gestation. We assess how immunological tolerance is achieved by reconst

SUBMITTER: Roth O 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7196912 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature