title: Combining immunological and molecular data to assess phylogenetic relations of some Greek Podarcis species.
abstract: Most recent molecular studies revealed the phylogeny of Greek Podarcis species, which for years remained elusive, due to discordant data produced from various chromosomal, complement fixation and protein studies. In this report, we analyzed cellular immune responses of spleen-derived lymphocytes from six allopatric Podarcis species encountered in Greece, by assessing two-way mixed lymphocyte reaction (MLR)-induced proliferation. On the basis of stimulation indices (S.I.) as determined from cultures set up from xenogeneic splenocytes coincubated in pairs, we generated a phylogenetic tree, fully consistent with the phylogenetic relationships of Podarcis as determined by parallel analyses based on partial mitochondrial (mt) DNA sequences. Although the exact mechanisms triggering lymphocyte responses in lizard two-way xenogeneic MLR are not fully understood, our results show the potential use of cell-mediated immune responses as an additional approach to mtDNA analysis, for species delimitation within specific lizard taxa.
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal and Human Physiology, Faculty of Biology, University of Athens, Panepistimiopolis 15784, Ilissia, Athens, Greece. evalakos@biol.uoa.gr
authors.forename: Efstratios D
authors.initials: ED
authors.lastname: Valakos
authors.forename: Andriani
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kourkouli
authors.forename: Margarita
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Skopeliti
authors.forename: Panayiotis
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pafilis
authors.forename: Nikolaos
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Poulakakis
authors.forename: Ioannis F
authors.initials: IF
authors.lastname: Voutsas
authors.forename: Petros
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lymberakis
authors.forename: Chrisi
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Simou
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Voelter
authors.forename: Ourania E
authors.initials: OE
authors.lastname: Tsitsilonis
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D002470:Cell Survival; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000235:genetics; D005843:Geography; D006115:Greece; D008116:Lizards / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology*; D007959:Lymphocyte Culture Test, Mixed; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology; D008297:Male; D010802:Phylogeny; D013154:Spleen / Q000166:cytology; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial