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- Title
Exaptation of an ancient Alu short interspersed element provides a highly conserved vitamin D-mediated innate immune response in humans and primates.
- Authors
Gombart, Adrian F; Saito, Tsuyako; Koeffler, H Phillip
- Abstract
About 45% of the human genome is comprised of mobile transposable elements or "junk DNA". The exaptation or co-option of these elements to provide important cellular functions is hypothesized to have played a powerful force in evolution; however, proven examples are rare. An ancient primate-specific Alu short interspersed element (SINE) put the human CAMP gene under the regulation of the vitamin D pathway by providing a perfect vitamin D receptor binding element (VDRE) in its promoter. Subsequent studies demonstrated that the vitamin D-cathelicidin pathway may be a key component of a novel innate immune response of human to infection. The lack of evolutionary conservation in non-primate mammals suggested that this is a primate-specific adaptation. Evidence for evolutionary conservation of this regulation in additional primate lineages would provide strong evidence that the TLR2/1-vitamin D-cathelicidin pathway evolved as a biologically important immune response mechanism protecting human and non-human primates against infection.
- Publication
BMC genomics, 2009, Vol 10, p321
- ISSN
1471-2164
- Publication type
Journal Article
- DOI
10.1186/1471-2164-10-321