کد مقاله | کد نشریه | سال انتشار | مقاله انگلیسی | نسخه تمام متن |
---|---|---|---|---|
2429957 | 1106532 | 2007 | 5 صفحه PDF | دانلود رایگان |
![عکس صفحه اول مقاله: Discovery of α-defensins in basal mammals Discovery of α-defensins in basal mammals](/preview/png/2429957.png)
α-Defensins are essential molecules of the innate immune system that have broad spectrum antimicrobial activity against a range of bacteria and viruses. To date, α-defensins have only been identified in the Euarchontoglires branch of the mammals. This has led to speculation that α-defensins may be specific to this group, a somewhat surprising finding, given their importance in the immune system. The mammalian genome project provided us with the opportunity to search for α-defensins in previously unexamined mammalian superorders. Using hidden Markov model (HMM) profile searching, we report the discovery of α-defensins in the African savanna elephant, the lesser hedgehog tenrec, and the nine-banded armadillo genomes representing two of the most basal mammalian superorders, Afrotheria and Xenarthra. Furthermore, we identify an α-defensin-like gene in the gray short-tailed opossum, suggesting that α-defensins may have evolved much earlier than previously thought, before the divergence of placental mammals and marsupials approximately 130 mya.
Journal: Developmental & Comparative Immunology - Volume 31, Issue 10, 2007, Pages 963–967