scholarly journals Development of Immune System: Conservation of Species Identity

Author(s):  
Anindya Das

Mutual survival among different species of living organisms is quite common in our living world. That mutual survival can produce symbiotic or parasitic relationship among different living organisms. But at the same time, some relationships are harmful to the living organisms creating pathogenic relationships. Why some mutual survivals are beneficial, whereas some relationships are harmful creating different diseases in the living world? That harmful or pathological relationship producing different diseases in both the animal and plant kingdom has been extensively studied by the scientific community several times under the heading of ‘Host-pathogen interaction’ and ‘Disease pathogenesis’. But it is still not clear why some mutual survivals are beneficial or non-harmful, whereas some co-survivals are harmful producing different disease conditions in the living world mainly due to different immune mediated reactions or direct toxic effect of substances produced by an organism. To find the answer to this question, we have to search retrospectively to the evolutionary pattern of our diverse living world. If it is assumed that we have originated from Last Universal Common Ancestor (LUCA) by different cumulative mutations, horizontal gene transfer, mobile genetic elements (MGE), transposition and natural selection, then it would be quite pragmatic to consider that two things were moving side by side in our ancient living world. On one hand it’s purpose was to create the diversification of both unicellular and multi-cellular living world and on the other hand it’s another purpose was to maintain the specific identity of the living organisms. It is the second purpose or the maintenance of specific identity that ultimately led to the development of Immune system.

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arpit Jain ◽  
Arndt von Haeseler ◽  
Ingo Ebersberger

AbstractOrthologs document the evolution of genes and metabolic capacities encoded in extant and ancient genomes. Orthologous genes that are detected across the full diversity of contemporary life allow reconstructing the gene set of LUCA, the last universal common ancestor. These genes presumably represent the functional repertoire common to – and necessary for – all living organisms. Design of artificial life has the potential to test this. Recently, a minimal gene (MG) set for a self-replicating cell was determined experimentally, and a surprisingly high number of genes have unknown functions and are not represented in LUCA. However, as similarity between orthologs decays with time, it becomes insufficient to infer common ancestry, leaving ancient gene set reconstructions incomplete and distorted to an unknown extent. Here we introduce the evolutionary traceability, together with the software protTrace, that quantifies, for each protein, the evolutionary distance beyond which the sensitivity of the ortholog search becomes limiting. We show that the LUCA set comprises only high-traceable proteins most of which have catalytic functions. We further show that proteins in the MG set lacking orthologs outside bacteria mostly have low traceability, leaving open whether their eukaryotic orthologs have just been overlooked. On the example of REC8, a protein essential for chromosome cohesion, we demonstrate how a traceability-informed adjustment of the search sensitivity identifies hitherto missed orthologs in the fast-evolving microsporidia. Taken together, the evolutionary traceability helps to differentiate between true absence and non-detection of orthologs, and thus improves our understanding about the evolutionary conservation of functional protein networks.


Author(s):  
Francisco Prosdocimi ◽  
Marco V José ◽  
Sávio Torres de Farias

The existence of a common ancestor to all living organisms in Earth is a necessary corollary of Darwin idea of common ancestry. The Last Universal Common Ancestor (LUCA) has been normally considered as the ancestor of cellular organisms that originated the three domains of life: Bacteria, Archaea and Eukarya. Recent studies about the nature of LUCA indicate that this first organism should present hundreds of genes and a complex metabolism. Trying to bring another of Darwin ideas into the origins of life discussion, we went back into the prebiotic chemistry trying to understand how LUCA could be originated under gradualist assumptions. Along this line of reasoning, it became clear to us that the definition of another ancestral should be of particular relevance to the understanding about the emergence of biological systems. Together with the view of biology as a language for chemical translation, on which proteins are encoded into nucleic acids polymers, we glimpse a point in the deep past on which this Translation mechanism could have taken place. Thus, we propose the emergence of this process shared by all biological systems as a point of interest and propose the existence of this non-cellular entity named FUCA, as the First Universal Common Ancestor. FUCA was born in the very instant on which RNA-world replicators started to be capable to catalyze the bonding of amino acids into oligopeptides. FUCA has been considered mature when the translation system apparatus has been assembled together with the establishment of a primeval, possibly error-prone genetic code. This is FUCA, the great-grandmother of LUCA.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fouad El Baidouri ◽  
Chris Venditti ◽  
Sei Suzuki ◽  
Andrew Meade ◽  
Stuart Humphries

AbstractA fundamental concept in evolutionary theory is the last universal common ancestor (LUCA) from which all living organisms. While some authors have suggested a relatively complex LUCA 1 it is still widely assumed that LUCA must have been a very simple cell and that life has subsequently increased in complexity through time 2,3. However, while current thought does tend towards a general increase in complexity through time in Eukaryotes 4,5, there is increasing evidence that bacteria and archaea have undergone considerable genome reduction during their evolution 6,7. This raises the surprising possibility that LUCA, as the ancestor of bacteria and archaea may have been a considerably complex cell. While hypotheses regarding the phenotype of LUCA do exist, all are founded on gene presence/absence 1–3. Yet, despite recent attempts to link genes and phenotypic traits in prokaryotes 8,9, it is still inherently difficult to predict phenotype based on the presence or absence of genes alone. In response to this, we used Bayesian phylogenetic comparative methods 10,11 to predict ancestral traits. Testing for robustness to horizontal gene transfer (HGT) we inferred the phenotypic traits of LUCA using two robust published phylogenetic trees 12,13 and a dataset of 3,128 bacterial and archaeal species (Supplementary Information). Our results depict LUCA as a far more complex cell than has previously been proposed, challenging the evolutionary model of increased complexity through time in prokaryotes. Given current estimates for the emergence of LUCA we suggest that early life very rapidly evolved considerable cellular complexity.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nika Pende ◽  
Adrià Sogues ◽  
Daniela Megrian ◽  
Anna Sartori-Rupp ◽  
Patrick England ◽  
...  

AbstractMost archaea divide by binary fission using an FtsZ-based system similar to that of bacteria, but they lack many of the divisome components described in model bacterial organisms. Notably, among the multiple factors that tether FtsZ to the membrane during bacterial cell constriction, archaea only possess SepF-like homologs. Here, we combine structural, cellular, and evolutionary analyses to demonstrate that SepF is the FtsZ anchor in the human-associated archaeon Methanobrevibacter smithii. 3D super-resolution microscopy and quantitative analysis of immunolabeled cells show that SepF transiently co-localizes with FtsZ at the septum and possibly primes the future division plane. M. smithii SepF binds to membranes and to FtsZ, inducing filament bundling. High-resolution crystal structures of archaeal SepF alone and in complex with the FtsZ C-terminal domain (FtsZCTD) reveal that SepF forms a dimer with a homodimerization interface driving a binding mode that is different from that previously reported in bacteria. Phylogenetic analyses of SepF and FtsZ from bacteria and archaea indicate that the two proteins may date back to the Last Universal Common Ancestor (LUCA), and we speculate that the archaeal mode of SepF/FtsZ interaction might reflect an ancestral feature. Our results provide insights into the mechanisms of archaeal cell division and pave the way for a better understanding of the processes underlying the divide between the two prokaryotic domains.


Innova ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 55-57
Author(s):  
Андрей Сергеевич Руцкой ◽  
◽  
Вячеслав Александрович Липатов ◽  
Александр Анатольевич Панов ◽  
Илья Игоревич Шляпцев ◽  
...  

The article presents the results of research on the study of the effect of broadband electromagnetic fields on a macroorganism in an experiment. Electromagnetic fields with different characteristics can affect the systems of living organisms in different ways, including the immune system, which is sensitive to electromagnetic influences. Broadband electromagnetic fields have an immunostimulating effect, as evidenced by the increase in the enzymatic activity of peritoneal macrophages in reaction with nitro blue tetrazolium.


2004 ◽  
Vol 8 (2_suppl) ◽  
pp. 1-2
Author(s):  
Daniel N. Sauder

Psoriasis is an immune-mediated skin disease in which T cells initiate and maintain the pathogenic process.1 T cells become activated, migrate into the skin, and induce the keratinocyte proliferation associated with the psoriatic phenotype. The activated T cells that infiltrate the skin express the memory phenotype (CD45RO+).2,3 Both CD4+ and CD8+ memory T-cell subtypes are believed to play a role in the pathogenesis of psoriasis. The effectiveness of many traditional therapies for psoriasis (e.g., cyclosporine, methotrexate, psoralen/ultraviolet A light) can be attributed, at least in part, to the potent immunosuppressive effects of these treatments.4,5 Unfortunately, a lack of selective targeting of the immune system by these therapies may result in treatment-limiting side effects.


Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 3956
Author(s):  
Camilla Barbero Mazzucca ◽  
Davide Raineri ◽  
Giuseppe Cappellano ◽  
Annalisa Chiocchetti

Nutrition and immunity are closely related, and the immune system is composed of the most highly energy-consuming cells in the body. Much of the immune system is located within the GI tract, since it must deal with the huge antigenic load introduced with food. Moreover, the incidence of immune-mediated diseases is elevated in Westernized countries, where “transition nutrition” prevails, owing to the shift from traditional dietary patterns towards Westernized patterns. This ecological correlation has fostered increasing attempts to find evidence to support nutritional interventions aimed at managing and reducing the risk of immune-mediated diseases. Recent studies have described the impacts of single nutrients on markers of immune function, but the knowledge currently available is not sufficient to demonstrate the impact of specific dietary patterns on immune-mediated clinical disease endpoints. If nutritional scientists are to conduct quality research, one of many challenges facing them, in studying the complex interactions between the immune system and diet, is to develop improved tools for investigating eating habits in the context of immunomediated diseases.


2021 ◽  
Vol 100 (5) ◽  
pp. 471-475
Author(s):  
Inga N. Alikina ◽  
Oleg V. Dolgikh

Introduction. Currently, occupational health problems acquire particular relevance due to the inconsistency of working conditions with hygienic standards. Unfavorable conditions lead to the development of occupational and production conditioned diseases, increase the risk of developing non-specific diseases and exacerbate their medico-social consequences. In this regard, it becomes essential to develop diagnostic criteria for early health disorders of workers under the influence of working conditions [1]. Materials and methods. One hundred ninety-five workers of potash production (men) were examined. The observation group consisted of 120 workers exposed to harmful chemical occupational factors (air pollution of the working area with silvinite dust, chemicals on the example of hexane). Seventy-five workers were not exposed to harmful factors of the production environment (comparison group). CD-phenotypes of cellular immunity were determined by flow cytometry. The chemical and analytical study of the content of contaminants in urine was carried out by the method of analysis of the equilibrium vapor phase (hexane). The content of IgG specific to the studied substance was determined by the allergosorbent method. Results. Changes in the immune system were significant concerning the comparison group and characterized by excessive expression of many CD-immunophenotypes (CD11a, CD3+CD95+) and the TNFR receptor. At the same time, an increased concentration of hexane was registered in the biological media of workers in the main occupational groups compared to the comparison group. Reliable differences in the content of specific antibodies to hexane (IgG) between the studied groups of workers (p<0.05) were established. Conclusion. The results of this work allowed substantiating the list of priority indicators of the state of the immune system in mining workers exposed to direct exposure to contaminants at the stage of chemical treatment of mineral resources. Abnormalities of cellular and humoral immunity have been identified, which can impair the functioning of the body’s immune system and the formation of immune-mediated pathological conditions (inflammatory and proliferative processes in the lungs, asthenia).


mBio ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathaniel D. Chu ◽  
Jessica W. Crothers ◽  
Le T. T. Nguyen ◽  
Sean M. Kearney ◽  
Mark B. Smith ◽  
...  

Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT)—transferring fecal microbes from a healthy donor to a sick patient—has shown promise for gut diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease. However, unlike pharmaceuticals, fecal transplants are complex mixtures of living organisms, which must then interact with the microbes and immune system of the recipient.


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