Immunological rearrangement -an opportunity for unique male pregnancy evolution?

怀孕已经在150多种脊椎动物谱系中进化，是趋同进化的一个迷人的例子。免疫系统的进化适应需要在子宫内容忍胎儿与父母之间的亲密联系。因此，在海龙和海马，我们建议他们的免疫重排是进化适应性和直接联系到他们独特的进化男性怀孕。为了检查这些免疫系统功能的修改的进化后果，我们将产生敲除线的关键免疫基因/外显子，已经失去了沿着梯度的男性怀孕进化（补体成分C4，T细胞表面糖蛋白CD 5和MHC II不变链CD 74）在硬骨鱼与功能齐全的免疫系统。随后的感染实验和免疫细胞群的分析将揭示免疫重排的生命，并提供对替代免疫途径的补偿的见解。评估海龙和海马育袋中细胞和组织的生理重塑，将为理解免疫系统修饰与雄性妊娠的协同进化铺平道路。该项目将研究免疫重排如何进化适应，并阐明为什么免疫重排甚至可能为进化新奇提供机会，例如独特的男性怀孕。

Pregnancy has evolved in more than 150 vertebrate lineages and represents a fascinating example of convergent evolution. Evolutionary adaptations in the immune system were required to tolerate the development of intimate feto-parental connections in the womb. In pipefishes and seahorses, we thus suggest their immunological rearrangement to be evolutionary adaptive and to be directly linked to their unique evolution of male pregnancy. To examine the evolutionary consequences of these modifications of immune system functioning, we will generate knock-out lines of the key immune genes/ exons that have been lost along the gradient of male pregnancy evolution (complement component C4, T-cell surface glycoprotein CD5 and the MHC II invariant chain CD74) in teleosts with fully functional immune systems. Subsequent infection experiments and analysis of immune cell populations will shed light on life with an immunological rearrangement and provide insights into its compensation over alternative immunological pathways. The assessment of physiological remodelling of cells and tissues in the brood pouch of pipefishes and seahorses, will pave the way to understand the coevolution of immune system modification with male pregnancy. This project will investigate how immunological rearrangement can be evolutionary adaptive, and illuminate why immunological rearrangement may even provide an opportunity for evolutionary novelties, such as the unique male pregnancy.