The Antibody Molecules of A Basal Vertebrate are Deployed
for Developmental Processes During Embryogenesis
Chris Amemiya PhD
Benaroya Research Institute (BRI)
Seattle, WA
Education:
B.S. (Genetics), 1981, Purdue University
Ph.D. (Genetics), 1987, Texas A&M University, College Station
Postdoctoral Fellow:
1987-1990 Tampa Bay Research Institute
1990-1993 Biomedical Sciences Division, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Faculty Appointment:
1997-2001 Center for Human Genetics, Boston University School of Medicine
2001-present Benaroya Research Institute
Abstract：
The lamprey, a basal vertebrate, has previously been shown to employ an alternative system to the immunoglobulins for its antibody-based immune system. This system (known as the variable lymphocyte receptor B: VLRB) utilizes an altogether different genomic and molecular toolkit for generating de novo receptor diversity, the diversity presumably rivaling that produced by the immunoglobulin loci of mouse and man. Here, we report that the VLRB locus undergoes genetic rearrangement during early embryonic development (well before formation of blood-forming cells) and that the resultant gene products are necessary for proper development of the lamprey embryo. The deployment of the same rearranging gene system for both development and immune recognition is unprecedented in vertebrates and raises myriad questions with regard to the evolution of developmental complexity and the functional interrelationship of the two processes.
Time: Sep. 26th, 2016, 16:00
Venue: New Biology Building, Room 143
Host: Xiao Liu
举办单位：生命科学联合中心
