Cetacea are natural knockouts for IL20

• Type: Article in International Scientific Journal
• Date: 2018

Authors

Lopes Marques, M (Author) Other; Machado, AM (Author) Other; Barbosa, S (Author) Other; Fonseca, MM (Author) Other; Ruivo, R (Author) Other; Filipe F C Castro (Author) FCUP

Journal

Title: Immunogenetics

Vol. 70

Pages: 681-687

ISSN: 0093-7711

Publisher: Springer Nature

Indexing

ISI Web of Knowledge - 13 Citations

Scopus - 14 Citations

Other information

Authenticus ID: P-00P-1BK

DOI: 10.1007/s00251-018-1071-5

Abstract (EN): The Cetacea infraorder comprises a very unique group within the mammalian lineage. While sharing common ancestors with terrestrial mammals, their exclusive dependence on aquatic environments makes them attractive models to explore the landscape of molecular shifts in radical habitat transitions. Among their diverse anatomical and physiological solutions, we find detectable genetic remodeling of the immune system. In agreement, here we show that the gene sequence of interleukin-20 (IL20) displays unambiguous signs of inactivation with several disruptive mutations, including stop codons, insertions, and a conserved trans-species mutation abolishing a canonical splice site, in nine analyzed cetacean genomes. Considering the suggested role of IL20 in skin immunity processes, including inflammation, epithelization, and remodeling, we propose that gene inactivation follows specific adaptations of cetacean skin to the aquatic environment, in frame with the less-is-more hypothesis.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

No. of pages: 7