Intra-colony divergence and global allele sharing reflect purifying selection and recombination at the Botryllus histocompatibility factor locus.

Abstract excerpt

Urochordates, the closest relatives of vertebrates, lack adaptive immunity. However, some taxa, such as the colonial species Botryllus schlosseri, provide a unique model for studying innate self/non-self recognition through natural allogeneic transplantation responses. In this species, interactions between colonies are controlled by a highly polymorphic locus, with the Botryllus histocompatibility factor (BHF)...

Topics

• Animals
• Recombination, Genetic
• Alleles
• Selection, Genetic
• Chordata
• Evolution, Molecular