Molecular evolution of CXC chemokines: extant CXC chemokines originate from the CNS.
The mammalian CXC chemokine system comprises 16 ligands and six receptors, and its actions stretch well beyond the immune system. Recent elucidation of the pufferfish genome, a representative of an evolutionary ancient vertebrate class, has enabled analysis of the mammalian CXC chemokine system in a phylogenetic context. Comparison of the phylogenies of vertebrate CXC chemokines revealed that fish and mammals have found different solutions to similar problems, grafted on the same basic structural motif. Phylogenetic analyses showed that the large, highly redundant CXC chemokine family is a very recent phenomenon that is exclusive to higher vertebrates. Moreover, its ancestral role is found within the central nervous system and not within the immune system.
Huising
Mark O
MO
Cell Biology and Immunology Group, Wageningen University, PO Box 338, 6700 AH, The Netherlands.
Stet
René J M
RJ
Kruiswijk
Corine P
CP
Savelkoul
Huub F J
HF
Lidy Verburg-van Kemenade
B M
BM
D000465:Algorithms; D000818:Animals; D002490:Central Nervous System / Q000502:physiology; D019743:Chemokines, CXC / Q000235:genetics*; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D006801:Humans; D005810:Multigene Family; D010802:Phylogeny
D019743:Chemokines, CXC