In silico analysis of myeloid cells across animal kingdom reveal neutrophil evolution by colony stimulating factors
Abstract
Neutrophils constitute the largest population of phagocytic granulocytes in the blood of mammals. The development and function of neutrophils and monocytes is primarily governed by the granulocyte colony-stimulating factor receptor family (CSF3R/CSF3) and macrophage colony-stimulating factor receptor family (CSF1R/IL34/CSF1) respectively. Using various techniques this study considered how the emergence of receptor:ligand pairings shaped the distribution of blood myeloid cell populations. Comparative gene analysis supported the ancestral pairings of CSF1R/IL34 and CSF3R/CSF3, and the emergence of CSF1 later in lineages after the advent of Jawed/Jawless fish. Further analysis suggested that the emergence of CSF3 lead to reorganisation of granulocyte distribution between amphibian and early reptiles. However, the advent of endothermy likely contributed to the dominance of the neutrophil/heterophil in modern-day mammals and birds. In summary, we show that the emergence of CSF3R/CSF3 was a key factor in the subsequent evolution of the modern-day mammalian neutrophil.
Data availability
All data generated or analysed during this study are included in the manuscript and supporting files
Article and author information
Author details
Funding
Medical Research Council (MR/M003159/1)
- Kevin J Woollard
Kidney Research UK (RP_019_20160303)
- Kevin J Woollard
Kidney Research UK (RP_002_20170914)
- Kevin J Woollard
British Heart Foundation (PG/18/41/33813)
- Kevin J Woollard
The authors declare that there was no direct funding for this work. Grants from MRC (MR/M003159/1), Kidney Research UK (RP_019_20160303, RP_002_20170914) and BHF (PG/18/41/33813) support the Woollard labKJW is now an employee for AstraZeneca (BioPharmaceuticals R&D, Cambridge, UK). All of this work was performed at Imperial College London. No funding or support was received from AstraZeneca.
Reviewing Editor
- Antonis Rokas, Vanderbilt University, United States
Version history
- Received: June 21, 2020
- Accepted: November 24, 2020
- Accepted Manuscript published: November 25, 2020 (version 1)
- Version of Record published: December 4, 2020 (version 2)
Copyright
© 2020, Pinheiro et al.
This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License permitting unrestricted use and redistribution provided that the original author and source are credited.
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