Extreme genomic volatility characterizes the evolution of the immunoglobulin heavy chain locus in cyprinodontiform fishes.

ABSTRACT: The evolution of the adaptive immune system has provided vertebrates with a uniquely sophisticated immune toolkit, enabling them to mount precise immune responses against a staggeringly diverse range of antigens. Like other vertebrates, teleost fishes possess a complex and functional adaptive immune system; however, our knowledge of the complex antigen-receptor genes underlying its functionality has been restricted to a small number of experimental and agricultural species, preventing systematic investigation into how these crucial gene loci evolve. Here, we analyse the genomic structure of the immunoglobulin heavy chain (IGH) gene loci in the cyprinodontiforms, a diverse and important group of teleosts present in many different habitats across the world. We reconstruct the complete

SUBMITTER: Bradshaw WJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7287348 | biostudies-literature | 2020 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature