title: Isolation and characterization of CXC receptor genes in a range of elasmobranchs.
abstract: The CXC group of chemokines exert their cellular effects via the CXCR group of G-protein coupled receptors. Six CXCR genes have been identified in humans (CXCR1-6), and homologues to some of these have been isolated from a range of vertebrate species. Here we isolate and characterize CXCR genes from a range of elasmobranch species. One CXCR1/2 gene fragment isolated from Scyliorhinus caniculus (lesser spotted catshark), and two CXCR1/2 copies from each of the elasmobranchs, Cetorhinus maximus (basking shark), Carcharodon carcharias (great white shark), and Raja naevus (cuckoo ray), exhibit high similarity to both CXCR1 and CXCR2. The two copies evident in the cuckoo ray and lamniform sharks provide strong evidence of CXCR1/2 lineage specific duplication in rays and sharks. A CXCR fragment isolated from Lamna ditropis (salmon shark) shows high similarity to a range of CXCR4 genes and strong clustering with CXCR4 gene homologues was apparent during phylogenetic reconstruction.
authors.affiliation: School of Biological Sciences, Scottish Fish Immunology Research Centre, University of Aberdeen, Zoology Building, Tillydrone Avenue, Aberdeen AB24 2TZ, UK. a.goostrey@abdn.ac.uk
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Goostrey
authors.forename: Gareth
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: Christopher J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Secombes
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D018940:Elasmobranchii / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007107:Immune System / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D019707:Receptors, Chemokine / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
chemical_list: D019707:Receptors, Chemokine