Adaptation and constraint at Toll-like receptors in primates.

ABSTRACT: Frequent positive selection is a hallmark of genes involved in the adaptive immune system of vertebrates, but the incidence of positive selection for genes underlying innate immunity in vertebrates has not been well studied. The toll-like receptors (TLRs) of the innate immune system represent the first line of defense against pathogens. TLRs lie directly at the host-environment interface, and they target microbial molecules. Because of this, they might be subject to frequent positive selection due to coevolutionary dynamics with their microbial counterparts. However, they also recognize conserved molecular motifs, and this might constrain their evolution. Here, we investigate the evolution of the ten human TLRs in the framework of these competing ideas. We studied rates of protein evolutio

SUBMITTER: Wlasiuk G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3107592 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature