title: Molecular evolution of CXC chemokines: extant CXC chemokines originate from the CNS.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Cell Biology and Immunology Group, Wageningen University, PO Box 338, 6700 AH, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Mark O
authors.initials: MO
authors.lastname: Huising
authors.forename: René J M
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Stet
authors.forename: Corine P
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Kruiswijk
authors.forename: Huub F J
authors.initials: HF
authors.lastname: Savelkoul
authors.forename: B M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Lidy Verburg-van Kemenade
mesh_terms: 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
chemical_list: D019743:Chemokines, CXC