A complement factor B-like cDNA clone from the zebrafish (Brachydanio rerio)

Angela Seeger, Werner E. Mayer, Jan Klein

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

62 Scopus citations

Abstract

An important molecule in the activation of the complement system in vertebrates is factor B, a serine protease with a molecular mass of 95,000. Factor B and the complement component C2 are thought to have arisen by gene duplication. In mammals and in Xenopus the factor B gene is linked to the major histocompatibility complex (MHC), whereas in domestic fowl it segregates independently of the MHC. Here we describe the isolation of a cDNA clone coding for factor B in the zebrafish, Brachydanio rerio. The deduced protein sequence exhibits a characteristic mosaic structure consisting of the short consensus repeat (SCR), the von Willebrand factor, and the serine protease domains. The estimated time of factor B and C2 divergence (approximately 350 million years ago), combined with the fact that C2 has thus far been found only in mammals, suggest that the factor B-C2 gene duplication occurred after the divergence of mammal-like reptiles from other reptiles and hence also birds. After the duplication, the C2 component evolved significantly faster than factor B.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)511-520
Number of pages10
JournalMolecular Immunology
Volume33
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - Apr 1996

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Immunology
  • Molecular Biology

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