Immune-Related Functions of the Hivep Gene Family in East African Cichlid Fishes

Abstract Immune-related genes are often characterized by adaptive protein evolution. Selection on immune genes can be particularly strong when hosts encounter novel parasites, for instance, after the colonization of a new habitat or upon the exploitation of vacant ecological niches in an adaptive ra...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:G3 : genes - genomes - genetics 2013-12, Vol.3 (12), p.2205-2217
Main Authors: Diepeveen, Eveline T, Roth, Olivia, Salzburger, Walter
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Africa, Eastern
Amino Acid Substitution
Animals
Cichlids - genetics
Cichlids - immunology
Cichlids - microbiology
Evolution, Molecular
Fish Proteins - genetics
Fish Proteins - immunology
Gene Expression Regulation
Genes - immunology
Host-Pathogen Interactions
Investigations
Molecular Sequence Data
Multigene Family
Phylogeny
Regulatory Sequences, Nucleic Acid
Selection, Genetic
Vaccination
Vibrio - pathogenicity
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Summary:Abstract Immune-related genes are often characterized by adaptive protein evolution. Selection on immune genes can be particularly strong when hosts encounter novel parasites, for instance, after the colonization of a new habitat or upon the exploitation of vacant ecological niches in an adaptive radiation. We examined a set of new candidate immune genes in East African cichlid fishes. More specifically, we studied the signatures of selection in five paralogs of the human immunodeficiency virus type I enhancer-binding protein (Hivep) gene family, tested their involvement in the immune defense, and related our results to explosive speciation and adaptive radiation events in cichlids. We found signatures of long-term positive selection in four Hivep paralogs and lineage-specific positive selection in Hivep3b in two radiating cichlid lineages. Exposure of the cichlid Astatotilapia burtoni to a vaccination with Vibrio anguillarum bacteria resulted in a positive correlation between immune response parameters and expression levels of three Hivep loci. This work provides the first evidence for a role of Hivep paralogs in teleost immune defense and links the signatures of positive selection to host–pathogen interactions within an adaptive radiation.
ISSN:2160-1836
2160-1836
DOI:10.1534/g3.113.008839