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Evolution of adaptive immunity from transposable elements combined with innate immune systems
Eugene V Koonin1, Mart Krupovic2
1National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, Maryland 20894, USA.
Nature Reviews. Genetics
|December 10, 2014
Summary
Adaptive immunity in prokaryotes and animals uses mobile genetic elements for genome engineering, forming long-term memory. These elements, crucial for innate immunity and gene editing, likely originated adaptive immunity.
Area of Science:
- Molecular Biology
- Genetics
- Immunology
Background:
- Adaptive immunity in prokaryotes (e.g., CRISPR) and vertebrates (e.g., V(D)J recombination) confers long-term immune memory.
- Both systems utilize recombinases from mobile genetic elements, despite their unrelated origins.
- Mobile genetic elements are fundamental to cellular life and serve as natural genome engineering tools.
Approach:
- This opinion article presents a unifying hypothesis for the evolutionary origin of adaptive immunity.
- It explores the role of mobile elements and innate immune systems in this process.
Key Points:
- Mobile genetic elements are key to adaptive immune memory in diverse life forms.
- Recombinases from mobile elements are essential for both prokaryotic and vertebrate adaptive immunity.
- These elements provide naturally evolved genome engineering capabilities adopted by immunity and technology.
Conclusions:
- Adaptive immunity likely evolved from mobile genetic elements interacting with innate immune systems.
- Understanding this origin offers insights into genome engineering and immune system evolution.
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