Teleost fish interferons and their role in immunity

Intronless and intron-containing type I IFN genes coexist in amphibian Xenopus tropicalis : Insights into the origin and evolution of type I IFNs in vertebrates

“…It has been recently revealed in evolutionary and comparative immunology that introns were lost from primitive intron-containing type I IFN genes in fish and amphibians, and intronless type I IFN genes were evolved in amniotes (Chen et al, 2015;Goossens et al, 2013;Grayfer et al, 2014;Sang et al, 2014;Xu et al, 2013;Zou and Secombes, 2011;Zou et al, 2007); but it remains unclear how this process might have occurred (Zou et al, 2007).…”

“…Interestingly, type I IFNs in mammals, birds and reptiles are encoded by intronless genes, which express single exon transcripts (Goossens et al, 2013;Sang et al, 2014;Xu et al, 2013). In contrast, type I IFN genes in fish and amphibians possess distinct genomic organisation, consisting of five exons and four introns (Chen et al, 2015;Grayfer et al, 2014;Zou and Secombes, 2011;Zou et al, 2007). How the primitive intron-containing type I IFN genes in fish and amphibians might have lost their introns and evolved into intronless type I IFN genes in amniotes, is a puzzling and intriguing question in the field of evolutionary immunology (Zou et al, 2007).…”

Identification and functional characterizations of a novel TRIF gene from grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella)

“…Over-expression of zebrafish TRIF activates IFN-I promoter, but in an IRF3/7-independent manner (Sullivan et al, 2007). IFN response is the first line of host defense against virus infection (Zou and Secombes, 2011;Zhang and Gui, 2012).…”

Fish MAVS is involved in RLR pathway-mediated IFN response

“…Similar to mammals, teleost fish and fish cells respond to either RNA virus or poly (I:C) initiating the expression of IFN [18,19]. Fish genomes have the orthologous genes involved in the RLR pathway, including RIG-I, MDA-5, MAVS, MITA, TBK-1 and IRF3/7 [20].…”