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Cited by 195Developmental Biology and Gene RegulationT-cell and B-cell ImmunologyGenomics and Chromatin Dynamics

Evolution of Genetic Networks Underlying the Emergence of Thymopoiesis in Vertebrates

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Bajoghli, Baubak, Aghaallaei, Narges, Hess, Isabell, Rode, Immanuel, Netuschil, Nikolai, Tay, Boon-Hui, Venkatesh, Byrappa, Yu, Jr-Kai +6 more·2009·Cell
DOI 10.1016/j.cell.2009.04.017
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Abstract

About 500 million years ago, a new type of adaptive immune defense emerged in basal jawed vertebrates, accompanied by morphological innovations, including the thymus. Did these evolutionary novelties arise de novo or from elaboration of ancient genetic networks? We reconstructed the genetic changes underlying thymopoiesis by comparative genome and expression analyses in chordates and basal vertebrates. The derived models of genetic networks were experimentally verified in bony fishes. Ancestral networks defining circumscribed regions of the pharyngeal epithelium of jawless vertebrates expanded in cartilaginous fishes to incorporate novel genes, notably those encoding chemokines. Correspondingly, novel networks evolved in lymphocytes of jawed vertebrates to control the expression of additional chemokine receptors. These complementary changes enabled unprecedented Delta/Notch signaling between pharyngeal epithelium and lymphoid cells that was exploited for specification to the T cell lineage. Our results provide a framework elucidating the evolution of key features of the adaptive immune system in jawed vertebrates.

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  • Notch ligands are the most important environmental signals thymus stroma provides to developing T cells across vertebrates.

    “Notch ligands are the most important of all the environmental signals that the thymus stroma provides to developing T cells, apparently across all vertebrates (59–61)”

    From Mechanisms of Action of Hematopoietic Transcription Factor PU.1 in Initiation of T-Cell Development (2019) · cites this paper as [61]

    The Introduction describes Dll4 as an essential, non-redundant ligand for T-cell specification, and the Discussion identifies specification through Notch receptors as a cardinal function of the thymic microenvironment. The paper does not rank Notch ligands above all other stromal signals; its account of a thymus concerns jawed vertebrates, not all vertebrates. (LLM, conf=0.87)

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Cited by

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Authors
Bajoghli, B., Aghaallaei, N., Hess, I., Rode, I., Netuschil, N., Tay, B.-H., Venkatesh, B., Yu, J.-K., Kaltenbach, S. L., Holland, N. D., Diekhoff, D., Happe, C., Schorpp, M., & Boehm, T.
Affiliations
  • Max Planck Society (DE)
  • Agency for Science, Technology and Research (SG)
  • Scripps Institution of Oceanography (US)
Corresponding author
Boehm, Thomas
ORCID
Venue
Cell
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2009-07
Volume
138
Issue
1
Pages
186-197
ISSN
0092-8674 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.cell.2009.04.017
OpenAlex
W2025322183
Cited by
195
References
2
Citations by year
2026: 5 · 2025: 12 · 2024: 9 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 12 · 2021: 11 · 2020: 13 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 14 · 2017: 7 · 2016: 13 · 2015: 14 · 2014: 13 · 2013: 11 · 2012: 14
FWCI
6.85
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Cell (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Max Planck Digital Library (submittedVersion)
  • MPG.PuRe (Max Planck Society) (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Developmental Biology and Gene Regulation
  • Life Sciences › Immunology and Microbiology › Immunology › T-cell and B-cell Immunology
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Genomics and Chromatin Dynamics
Keywords
thymopoiesis, adaptive immunity evolution, Delta-Notch signaling, chemokines, chemokine receptors, pharyngeal epithelium, T cell lineage specification, jawed vertebrates, jawless fishes, Chondrichthyes, bony fishes, Chordata, lymphocyte development
MeSH terms
Animals, Chordata, Nonvertebrate, Biological Evolution, Fishes, Humans, Lampreys, Lymphocytes, Molecular Sequence Data, Thymus Gland, Vertebrates, Chemokines, Receptors, Chemokine, Gene Regulatory Networks

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