The evolution and regulation of the mucosal immune complexity in the basal chordate amphioxus

Both amphioxus and the sea urchin encode a complex innate immune gene repertoire in their genomes, but the composition and mechanisms of their innate immune systems, as well as the fundamental differences between two systems, remain largely unexplored. In this study, we dissect the mucosal immune complexity of amphioxus into different evolutionary-functional modes and regulatory patterns by integrating information from phylogenetic inferences, genome-wide digital expression profiles, time course expression dynamics, and functional analyses. With these rich data, we reconstruct several major immune subsystems in amphioxus and analyze their regulation during mucosal infection. These include the TNF/IL-1R network, TLR and NLR networks, complement system, apoptosis network, oxidative pathways, and other effector genes (e.g., peptidoglycan recognition proteins, Gram-negative binding proteins, and chitin-binding proteins). We show that beneath the superficial similarity to that of the sea urchin, the amphioxus innate system, despite preserving critical invertebrate components, is more similar to that of the vertebrates in terms of composition, expression regulation, and functional strategies. For example, major effectors in amphioxus gut mucous tissue are the well-developed complement and oxidative-burst systems, and the signaling network in amphioxus seems to emphasize signal transduction/modulation more than initiation. In conclusion, we suggest that the innate immune systems of amphioxus and the sea urchin are strategically different, possibly representing two successful cases among many expanded immune systems that arose at the age of the Cambrian explosion. We further suggest that the vertebrate innate immune system should be derived from one of these expanded systems, most likely from the same one that was shared by amphioxus.