Evolution of V genes from the TRV loci of mammals

• Published in: Immunogenetics (New York) Vol. 67; no. 7; pp. 371 - 384
• Main Authors: Olivieri, David N., Gambón-Cerdá, Santiago, Gambón-Deza, Francisco
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01-07-2015; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Allergology; Amino Acid Sequence; Animals; Antigens; Base Sequence; Bioinformatics; Biological Evolution; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Cell Biology; Eutheria; Evolution; Gene Function; Gene Library; Gene loci; Genomes; Human Genetics; Hypotheses; Immunoglobulin Variable Region - genetics; Immunoglobulin Variable Region - immunology; Immunology; Lymphocyte receptors; Lymphocytes; Major Histocompatibility Complex - immunology; Mammals; Mammals - genetics; Mammals - immunology; Marsupials; Original Paper; Peptides; Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta - genetics; Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta - immunology; Reptiles; Reptiles & amphibians; Reptiles - genetics; Reptiles - immunology; Sequence Alignment; Spain; Evolution; TCR; V-genes
• ISSN: 0093-7711; 1432-1211
• DOI: 10.1007/s00251-015-0850-5

Information concerning the evolution of T lymphocyte receptors (TCR) can be deciphered from that part of the molecule that recognizes antigen presented by major histocompatibility complex (MHC), namely the variable (V) regions. The genes that code for these variable regions are found within the TCR loci. Here, we describe a study of the evolutionary origin of V genes that code for the α and β chains of the TCR loci of mammals. In particular, we demonstrate that most of the 35 TRAV and 25 TRBV conserved genes found in Primates are also found in other Eutheria, while in Marsupials, Monotremes, and Reptiles, these genes diversified in a different manner. We also show that in mammals, all TRAV genes are derived from five ancestral genes, while all TRBV genes originate from four such genes. In Reptiles, the five TRAV and three out of the four TRBV ancestral genes exist, as well as other V genes not found in mammals. We also studied the TRGV and TRDV loci from all mammals, and we show a relationship of the TRDV to the TRAV locus throughout evolutionary time.