2006/01/31 by Liza Gross · 2 citations
Arts and Humanities · Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Social Sciences · #Biological evolution #Biology #Evolutionary biology #Forensic and Genetic Research #Gene #Genetics #Genome #Human evolutionary genetics #Mitochondrial DNA #Paleopathology and ancient diseases #Phylogenetics #Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology #Reading (process) #Zoology
paper · pdf · doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.0040074
published in PLoS Biology 4(3), e74 (Public Library of Science)
openalex publication_date 2006/01/31 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/04
All organisms need defense systems to ward off infection.These defenses typically mobilize in response to antigens, bits of protein fragments derived from a pathogen.Vertebrates have a superbly effi cient system of adaptive immunity that uses proteins to recognize and bind billions of different antigens via a process known as antigen presentation.Ultimately, this process leads to removal of the antigen.Antigen binding proteins are encoded within one large genomic region known as the major histocompatibility complex (MHC).The high level of polymorphism, or variation, in this genomic region allows the adaptive immune system to keep pace with an everchanging array of antigens.Genes in the MHC region are subdivided into Class I, Class II, and Class III based on their structure and function.The organization of MHC genes in present-day species can provide insight into how immunity has evolved.To date, maps of the MHC are available from eutherian (placental) mammals and nonmammalian species, including birds, bony fi sh, and cartilaginous fi sh such as sharks.But MHC organization and complexity differ substantially between Marsupial Genome Sheds Light on the Evolution of Immunity