Abstract
Functional analogues of vertebrate inflammatory cytokines have been described in a variety of invertebrates1. The analogy is based mainly on the crossreactivity of antibodies elicited against vertebrate cytokines, the sensitivity of invertebrate immunocytes to the action of vertebrate cytokines, and the responsiveness of vertebrate immune cells to invertebrate factors. But without knowing the amino-acid or gene sequences of the putative invertebrate cytokine analogues, it has not been possible to demonstrate unequivocally a phylogenetic relationship between vertebrate cytokines and their invertebrate functional analogues. Here we show that, although a defence molecule from the earthworm Eisenia foetida (Oligochaeta, Annelida) and the mammalian tumour-necrosis factor TNF-α perform similar functions, they emerged independently during evolution.
References
Habicht, G. S. & Beck, G. Adv. Comp. Environ. Physiol. 24, 29–47 (1996).
Lucas, R., Magez, S., De Leys, R. & De Baetselier, P. in Lectins: Biology, Biochemistry, Clinical Biochemistry (eds Van Driessche, E., Fischer, J., Beeckmans, S. & Bog-Hansen, T.C.) 244-249 (Textop, Hellerup, Denmark, 1994).
Lucas, R.et al. Science 263, 814–817 (1994).
Magez, S.et al. J. Cell Biol. 137, 715–727 (1997).
Beschin, A.et al. J. Biol. Chem. 273, 24948–24954 (1998).
Smith, V. J. Adv. Comp. Environ. Physiol. 23, 75–114 (1996).
Barracco, M. A. & Söderhäll, K. Braz. J. Med. Biol. Res. 29, 1321–1327 (1996).
Bilej, M.et al. Immunol. Lett. 60, 23–29 (1998).
Bilej, M.et al. Immunol. Lett. 45, 123–128 (1995).
Olson, E. J., Standing, J. E., Griego-Harper, N., Hoffman, O. A. & Limper, A. H. Infect. Immun. 64, 3548–3554 (1996).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Beschin, A., Bilej, M., Brys, L. et al. Convergent evolution of cytokines. Nature 400, 627–628 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1038/23164
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/23164
- Springer Nature Limited
This article is cited by
-
Coelomocytes of the Oligochaeta earthworm Lumbricus terrestris (Linnaeus, 1758) as evolutionary key of defense: a morphological study
Zoological Letters (2023)
-
Insilico Study of Earthworm CCF1 Peptides in Earthworm
International Journal of Peptide Research and Therapeutics (2020)
-
First documentation and molecular confirmation of three trematode species (Platyhelminthes: Trematoda) infecting the polychaete Marenzelleria viridis (Annelida: Spionidae)
Parasitology Research (2016)