Convergent evolution of invertebrate defensins and nematode antibacterial factors

Oren Froy*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

33 Scopus citations

Abstract

Antibacterial factors (ABFs) are secreted polypeptides that have an important role in the innate immune system of nematodes. Comparison of these polypeptides revealed similarity in bioactivity, protein sequence and 3D structure, suggesting that they originated from a common ancestor. Comparison of gene organization of nematode ABF genes revealed that all except one contain a Phase 0 intron at a conserved location. The intron phase and location are congruent with the postulated intron gain rules, suggesting a gain of intron before duplication and divergence of the ancestral gene. Although nematode ABFs display similarity in activity and structure to invertebrate (arthropod and mollusk) defensins, lack of sequence similarity and the different genomic organization suggest that these two polypeptide families exhibit convergent evolution.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)314-319
Number of pages6
JournalTrends in Microbiology
Volume13
Issue number7
DOIs
StatePublished - Jul 2005

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Convergent evolution of invertebrate defensins and nematode antibacterial factors'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this