Origin and Evolution of the Vertebrate Immune System

1. Front Matter

   Pages I-IX

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2. Bridge to Invertebrates

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 1-1

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   2. New Approaches Towards an Understanding of Deuterostome Immunity

      • J. P. Rast, Z. Pancer, E. H. Davidson

      Pages 3-16

   3. The Antimicrobial Host Defense of Drosophila

      • M. Meister, C. Hetru, J. A. Hoffmann

      Pages 17-36

   4. Origin and Evolution of the Complement System

      • M. Nonaka

      Pages 37-50

3. Major Vertebrate Evolutionary Issues

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 51-51

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   2. Genome Paralogy: A New Perspective on the Organization and Origin of the Major Histocompatibility Complex

      • M. Kasahara

      Pages 53-66

   3. Phylogeny of Lower Vertebrates and Their Immunological Structures

      • A. Zapata, C. T. Amemiya

      Pages 67-107

4. Origin of Lymphocyte Lineages

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 109-109

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   2. Recombination-Activating Genes, Transposition, and the Lymphoid-Specific Combinatorial Immune System: A Common Evolutionary Connection

      • J. D. Hansen, J. F. McBlane

      Pages 111-135

   3. Transcription Factor Expression in Lymphocyte Development: Clues to the Evolutionary Origins of Lymphoid Cell Lineages?

      • M. K. Anderson, E. V. Rothenberg

      Pages 137-155

5. Origin of Receptors

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 157-157

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   2. The Phylogenetic Origin of Antigen-Specific Receptors

      • L. Du Pasquier

      Pages 159-185

6. Evolution of Receptors

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 187-187

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   2. Immunoglobulin Isotypes: Structure, Function, and Genetics

      • E. Bengtén, M. Wilson, N. Miller, L. W. Clem, L. Pilström, G. W. Warr

      Pages 189-219

   3. Evolution of Vertebrate Immunoglobulin Variable Gene Segments

      • T. Ota, T. Sitnikova, M. Nei

      Pages 221-245

7. Elasmobranchs

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 247-247

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   2. The Immune System of Cartilaginous Fish

      • M. F. Flajnik, L. L. Rumfelt

      Pages 249-270

   3. Immune-Type Diversity in the Absence of Somatic Rearrangement

      • J. A. Yoder, G. W. Litman

      Pages 271-282

8. Somatic Diversification

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 283-283

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The comparative approach to immunology can be traced to the era of Pasteur and Metchnikov in which observations regarding foreign recognition in invertebrates was a factor in the develop­ ment of the principal concepts that created the foundation of what now is the broad field of immunology. With each major experimental and conceptual breakthrough, the classical, albeit essential, question has been asked "are the immune systems of phylogenetically primitive vertebrates and invertebrates similar to that of mammals?" Somewhat surprisingly for the jawed verte­ brates, the general answer has been a qualified form of "yes", whereas for agnathans and invertebrate phyla it has been "no" so far. The apparent abruptness in the appearance of the immune system of vertebrates is linked to the introduction of the somatic generation of the diversity of its antigen specific receptors. Therefore the questions regarding the origin and evolution of the specific immune system revolve around this phenomenon. With respect to the origin of the system (aside from the or­ igin of the rearranging machinery itself, the study of which is still in its infancy) one can ask questions about the cellular and mo­ lecular contexts in which the mechanism was introduced.

• Antigen
• Immunsystem
• T cell
• development
• evolution
• fish
• genes
• genetics
• histocompatibility
• immunoglobulin
• invertebrates
• phylogeny
• system
• transcription
• vertebrates

• Basel Institute for Immunlogy, Basel, Switzerland

  Louis Pasquier

• All Children’s Hospital, University of South Florida, St. Petersburg, USA

  Gary W. Litman

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