Evolutionary trade-off between innate and acquired immune defences in birds

Frontiers in Zoology

Research

Piotr Minias¹  Kevin D. Matson²  Wei-Xuan V. -H. Peng² 

[1] Department of Biodiversity Studies and Bioeducation, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, University of Łódź, Banacha 1/3, 90-237, Łódź, Poland;Wildlife Ecology and Conservation Group, Wageningen University & Research, Droevendaalsesteeg 3a, 6708PB, Wageningen, Netherlands;

关键词: Birds;    Copy number variation;    Evolutionary trade-off;    Haemagglutination-haemolysis assay;    Major histocompatibility complex;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12983-023-00511-1

 received in 2023-02-03, accepted in 2023-09-01,  发布年份 2023

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundThe development, maintenance, and use of immune defences are costly. Therefore, animals face trade-offs in terms of resource allocation within their immune system and between their immune system and other physiological processes. To maximize fitness, evolution may favour investment in one immunological defence or subsystem over another in a way that matches a species broader life history strategy. Here, we used phylogenetically-informed comparative analyses to test for relationships between two immunological components. Natural antibodies and complement were used as proxies for the innate branch; structural complexity of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) region was used for the acquired branch.ResultsWe found a negative association between the levels of natural antibodies (i.e., haemagglutination titre) and the total MHC gene copy number across the avian phylogeny, both at the species and family level. The family-level analysis indicated that this association was apparent for both MHC-I and MHC-II, when copy numbers within these two MHC regions were analysed separately. The association remained significant after controlling for basic life history components and for ecological traits commonly linked to pathogen exposure.ConclusionOur results provide the first phylogenetically robust evidence for an evolutionary trade-off within the avian immune system, with a more developed acquired immune system (i.e., more complex MHC architecture) in more derived bird lineages (e.g., passerines) being accompanied by an apparent downregulation of the innate immune system.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© BioMed Central Ltd., part of Springer Nature 2023

【 图 表 】

Fig. 2

Fig. 2

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