title: [Chemokine and chemokine receptor gene families--a phylogenetic study].
abstract: In this study, the phylogenetic trees of chemokines and chemokine receptors are produced, based on distance parsimonious method, using available amino acid sequences from GenBank. The divergence of chemokine or chemokine receptors was earlier than the divergence of vertebrates. While the divergence of homologous genes from different species is in well congruent with phylogenetic relationship of those species. The molecular evolutionary rates of chemokine receptor genes are different, with CXCR4 gene scored the lowest. Chemokines and chemokine receptors originated from few ancient genes. The similarity between the virus encoded chemokines or chemokine receptors with those of host genes is a consequence of evolutionary mimicry.
authors.affiliation: Lab of Cellular and Molecular Evolution, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China.
authors.forename: X Z
authors.initials: XZ
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.forename: Y P
authors.initials: YP
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: L P
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: He
authors.forename: Z C
authors.initials: ZC
authors.lastname: Geng
mesh_terms: D018925:Chemokines / Q000235:genetics*; D010802:Phylogeny; D019707:Receptors, Chemokine / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D018925:Chemokines; D019707:Receptors, Chemokine