Title |
The surprisingly complex immune gene repertoire of a simple sponge, exemplified by the NLR genes: A capacity for specificity?
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Published in |
Developmental & Comparative Immunology, July 2014
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DOI | 10.1016/j.dci.2014.07.012 |
Pubmed ID | |
Authors |
Sandie M. Degnan |
Abstract |
Most bacteria are not pathogenic to animals, and may instead serve beneficial functions. The requisite need for animals to differentiate between microbial friend and foe is likely borne from a deep evolutionary imperative to recognise self from non-self, a service ably provided by the innate immune system. Recent findings from an ancient lineage of simple animals - marine sponges - have revealed an unexpectedly large and diverse suite of genes belonging to one family of pattern recognition receptors, namely the NLR genes. Because NLRs can recognise a broad spectrum of microbial ligands, they may play a critical role in mediating the animal-bacterial crosstalk needed for sophisticated discrimination between microbes of various relationships. The building blocks for an advanced NLR-based immune specificity encoded in the genome of the coral reef sponge Amphimedon queenslandica may provide a specialization and diversity of responses that equals, or even exceeds, that of vertebrate NLRs. |
X Demographics
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
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Unknown | 3 | 100% |
Demographic breakdown
Type | Count | As % |
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Members of the public | 2 | 67% |
Science communicators (journalists, bloggers, editors) | 1 | 33% |
Mendeley readers
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
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Portugal | 1 | 2% |
Germany | 1 | 2% |
Unknown | 57 | 97% |
Demographic breakdown
Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
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Student > Ph. D. Student | 25 | 42% |
Student > Master | 9 | 15% |
Student > Bachelor | 6 | 10% |
Student > Postgraduate | 4 | 7% |
Professor | 3 | 5% |
Other | 10 | 17% |
Unknown | 2 | 3% |
Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
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Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 28 | 47% |
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology | 11 | 19% |
Environmental Science | 7 | 12% |
Immunology and Microbiology | 5 | 8% |
Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutical Science | 1 | 2% |
Other | 3 | 5% |
Unknown | 4 | 7% |