biostudies-literatureShay TNIDDK NIH HHSHoward Hughes Medical InstituteNIAID NIH HHSNCI NIH HHSNIGMS NIH HHS2946-51https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC3581886biostudies-literatureUnknown110(8)Much of the knowledge about cell differentiation and function in the immune system has come from studies in mice, but the relevance to human immunology, diseases, and therapy has been challenged, perhaps more from anecdotal than comprehensive evidence. To this end, we compare two large compendia of transcriptional profiles of human and mouse immune cell types. Global transcription profiles are conserved between corresponding cell lineages. The expression patterns of most orthologous genes are conserved, particularly for lineage-specific genes. However, several hundred genes show clearly divergent expression across the examined cell lineages, and among them, 169 genes did so even with highly stringent criteria. Finally, regulatory mechanisms--reflected by regulators' differential expressionProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of AmericaConservation and divergence in the transcriptional programs of the human and mouse immune systems.PMC3581886U54 CA149145P30 DK026743R24 AI072073U54-CA149145RC2-GM093080RC2 GM093080Zuk ORegev APuyraimond-Zemmour DRothamel KShay TJojic VWakamatsu EBenoist CFeng TImmGen ConsortiumKoller DfalseConservation and divergence in the transcriptional programs of the human and mouse immune systems.Much of the knowledge about cell differentiation and function in the immune system has come from studies in mice, but the relevance to human immunology, diseases, and therapy has been challenged, perhaps more from anecdotal than comprehensive evidence. To this end, we compare two large compendia of transcriptional profiles of human and mouse immune cell types. Global transcription profiles are conserved between corresponding cell lineages. The expression patterns of most orthologous genes are conserved, particularly for lineage-specific genes. However, several hundred genes show clearly divergent expression across the examined cell lineages, and among them, 169 genes did so even with highly stringent criteria. Finally, regulatory mechanisms--reflected by regulators' differential expression2013-01-01T00:00:00Z2013 Feb2026-04-29T20:27:48.21Z2026-04-07T15:32:04.234ZS-EPMC35818862338218410.1073/pnas.1222738110