Complex immune systems require complex regulatory mechanisms. Whilst the control of innate and in... more Complex immune systems require complex regulatory mechanisms. Whilst the control of innate and inflammatory responses is likely to be ancient in origin, and potentially ubiquitous in the animal kingdom, clearly the evolution of an adaptive immune system in vertebrates is likely to coincide with new regulatory mechanisms and molecules. Key amongst these is the cytokine network, well characterised in mammals and becoming increasingly well characterised in fish and birds. This article will review our current understanding of which components of this network are crucial for adaptive immunity and evolved early, being present from fish to mammals. It will also consider which components of this network potentially evolved later (after the fish-tetrapod divergence) leading to unique cytokine genes in particular vertebrate groups.
The immune system of the so-called crocodile icefishes, members of the family Channichthyidae, ha... more The immune system of the so-called crocodile icefishes, members of the family Channichthyidae, has been recently investigated to study its morphological and functional organisation, to evidence the presence of specific immune humoral responses, and to ...
Reporter constructs of three interferon (IFN)-Îł-induced rainbow trout genes were generated to exa... more Reporter constructs of three interferon (IFN)-Îł-induced rainbow trout genes were generated to examine specificity to type I or type II IFN. Constructs included ÎłIP-10, LMP2 and TAP2 and were used to transfect trout fibroblast cells (RTG-2) which were then exposed to rainbow trout ...
This investigation provides the first conclusive evidence for the existence of the interleukin 2 ... more This investigation provides the first conclusive evidence for the existence of the interleukin 2 (IL-2) and IL-21 genes in bony fish. The IL-2 and IL-21 sequences have been determined in Fugu rubripes by exploiting the conservation of synteny that is found between regions of the human and Fugu genomes. The predicted 149-amino acid IL-2 homologue contains the IL-2 family signature, has a predicted secondary structure of three alpha helixes and has the two cysteines important in disulphide-bond formation. It shows low amino acid identities (24-34%) with other known IL-2 sequences. The predicted 155-amino acid IL-21 homologue has a predicted secondary structure of four alpha helixes and has the four cysteines important in disulphide-bond formation. It shows low amino acid identities (29-31%) with other known IL-21 sequences. The gene organisation of Fugu IL-2 and IL-21 and the level of synteny between the human and Fugu genomes has been well conserved during evolution, with the order and orientation of the genes matching exactly to human Chromosome 4. Phytohaemagglutinin stimulation of Fugu kidney cells resulted in a large increase in the Fugu IL-2 and IL-21 transcripts. In vivo stimulation of Fugu with LPS and poly I:C showed IL-21 expression to be localised within mucosal tissues. The discovery of IL-2 and IL-21 in fish will now allow more detailed investigations into T-helper cell responses.
PLoS ONE: an inclusive, peer-reviewed, open-access resource from the PUBLIC LIBRARY OF SCIENCE. R... more PLoS ONE: an inclusive, peer-reviewed, open-access resource from the PUBLIC LIBRARY OF SCIENCE. Reports of well-performed scientific studies from all disciplines freely available to the whole world.
Complex immune systems require complex regulatory mechanisms. Whilst the control of innate and in... more Complex immune systems require complex regulatory mechanisms. Whilst the control of innate and inflammatory responses is likely to be ancient in origin, and potentially ubiquitous in the animal kingdom, clearly the evolution of an adaptive immune system in vertebrates is likely to coincide with new regulatory mechanisms and molecules. Key amongst these is the cytokine network, well characterised in mammals and becoming increasingly well characterised in fish and birds. This article will review our current understanding of which components of this network are crucial for adaptive immunity and evolved early, being present from fish to mammals. It will also consider which components of this network potentially evolved later (after the fish-tetrapod divergence) leading to unique cytokine genes in particular vertebrate groups.
Complex immune systems require complex regulatory mechanisms. Whilst the control of innate and in... more Complex immune systems require complex regulatory mechanisms. Whilst the control of innate and inflammatory responses is likely to be ancient in origin, and potentially ubiquitous in the animal kingdom, clearly the evolution of an adaptive immune system in vertebrates is likely to coincide with new regulatory mechanisms and molecules. Key amongst these is the cytokine network, well characterised in mammals and becoming increasingly well characterised in fish and birds. This article will review our current understanding of which components of this network are crucial for adaptive immunity and evolved early, being present from fish to mammals. It will also consider which components of this network potentially evolved later (after the fish-tetrapod divergence) leading to unique cytokine genes in particular vertebrate groups.
The immune system of the so-called crocodile icefishes, members of the family Channichthyidae, ha... more The immune system of the so-called crocodile icefishes, members of the family Channichthyidae, has been recently investigated to study its morphological and functional organisation, to evidence the presence of specific immune humoral responses, and to ...
Reporter constructs of three interferon (IFN)-Îł-induced rainbow trout genes were generated to exa... more Reporter constructs of three interferon (IFN)-Îł-induced rainbow trout genes were generated to examine specificity to type I or type II IFN. Constructs included ÎłIP-10, LMP2 and TAP2 and were used to transfect trout fibroblast cells (RTG-2) which were then exposed to rainbow trout ...
This investigation provides the first conclusive evidence for the existence of the interleukin 2 ... more This investigation provides the first conclusive evidence for the existence of the interleukin 2 (IL-2) and IL-21 genes in bony fish. The IL-2 and IL-21 sequences have been determined in Fugu rubripes by exploiting the conservation of synteny that is found between regions of the human and Fugu genomes. The predicted 149-amino acid IL-2 homologue contains the IL-2 family signature, has a predicted secondary structure of three alpha helixes and has the two cysteines important in disulphide-bond formation. It shows low amino acid identities (24-34%) with other known IL-2 sequences. The predicted 155-amino acid IL-21 homologue has a predicted secondary structure of four alpha helixes and has the four cysteines important in disulphide-bond formation. It shows low amino acid identities (29-31%) with other known IL-21 sequences. The gene organisation of Fugu IL-2 and IL-21 and the level of synteny between the human and Fugu genomes has been well conserved during evolution, with the order and orientation of the genes matching exactly to human Chromosome 4. Phytohaemagglutinin stimulation of Fugu kidney cells resulted in a large increase in the Fugu IL-2 and IL-21 transcripts. In vivo stimulation of Fugu with LPS and poly I:C showed IL-21 expression to be localised within mucosal tissues. The discovery of IL-2 and IL-21 in fish will now allow more detailed investigations into T-helper cell responses.
PLoS ONE: an inclusive, peer-reviewed, open-access resource from the PUBLIC LIBRARY OF SCIENCE. R... more PLoS ONE: an inclusive, peer-reviewed, open-access resource from the PUBLIC LIBRARY OF SCIENCE. Reports of well-performed scientific studies from all disciplines freely available to the whole world.
Complex immune systems require complex regulatory mechanisms. Whilst the control of innate and in... more Complex immune systems require complex regulatory mechanisms. Whilst the control of innate and inflammatory responses is likely to be ancient in origin, and potentially ubiquitous in the animal kingdom, clearly the evolution of an adaptive immune system in vertebrates is likely to coincide with new regulatory mechanisms and molecules. Key amongst these is the cytokine network, well characterised in mammals and becoming increasingly well characterised in fish and birds. This article will review our current understanding of which components of this network are crucial for adaptive immunity and evolved early, being present from fish to mammals. It will also consider which components of this network potentially evolved later (after the fish-tetrapod divergence) leading to unique cytokine genes in particular vertebrate groups.
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