The innate immune system is the first line of defense against pathogens, which is initiated by
the recognition of pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) and endogenous …

Balancing selection is a classic mechanism for maintaining variability in immune genes
involved in host–pathogen interactions. However, it remains unclear how widespread the …

Functional diversity of the highly polymorphic human leukocyte antigen class I (HLA-I) genes
underlies successful immunologic control of both infectious disease and cancer. The …

Consistent patterns of positive selection in functionally similar genes can suggest a common
selective pressure across a group of species. We use alignments of orthologous protein …

Adaptation to a wide range of pathogenic environments is a major aspect of the ecological
adaptations of vertebrates during evolution. Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are ancient …

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are key sensor molecules in vertebrates triggering initial phases of
immune responses to pathogens. The avian TLR family typically consists of ten receptors …

Gene regulation shapes the evolution of phenotypic diversity. We investigated the evolution
of liver promoters and enhancers in six primate species using ChIP-seq (H3K27ac and …

Background β-defensins and cathelicidins are two families of cationic antimicrobial peptides
(AMPs) with a broad range of antimicrobial activities that are key components of the innate …

Understanding the relative role of different evolutionary forces in sha** the level and
distribution of functional genetic diversity among natural populations is a key issue in …

In disease dynamics, high immune gene diversity can confer a selective advantage to hosts
in the face of a rapidly evolving and diverse pathogen fauna. This is supported empirically …