Evolution: disjunct degeneration of immunological determinants

  • F. Marin NSG, Leids Instituut voor Chemie, Gorlaeus Laboratoria, Rijksuniversiteit Leiden, Postbus 9502, 2300 RA Leiden, the Netherlands
  • M. Gillibert NSG, Leids Instituut voor Chemie, Gorlaeus Laboratoria, Rijksuniversiteit Leiden, Postbus 9502, 2300 RA Leiden, the Netherlands
  • P. Westbroek NSG, Leids Instituut voor Chemie, Gorlaeus Laboratoria, Rijksuniversiteit Leiden, Postbus 9502, 2300 RA Leiden, the Netherlands
  • G. Muyzer Nederlands Instituut voor Onderzaek der Zee (NIOZ) Postbus 59, 1790 AB Den Burg (Texel), the Netherlands
  • Y. Dauphin Laboratoire de paleontologie, bl.i.timent 504, URA 723 du CNRS, Universite Paris XI-Orsay, 91 405 Orsay cedex, France (*Corresponding author: e-mail.fmarin@chem.leidenuniv.nl)
DOI: https://doi.org/10.70712/njg.v.12271
Keywords: bivalves, calcified skeletons, immunology, phylogeny, Pinna nobilis, shell matrices

Abstract

The dissolution of calcified invertebrate skeletons releases an elaborate mixture of proteins, glycoproteins and polysaccharides. These 'skeletal matrix' macromolecules are thought to play a major role in calcification and were widely used for phylogenetical studies. We tested the reactivity of water-soluble macromolecules from a wide range of invertebrate skeletons with two antisera raised against the shell matrix of the bivalve, Pinna nobilis. Projections of our results on the phylogenetical tree of Starobogatov (1992) show for the first time that, during evolution, antigenic determinants may degenerate in some stocks while they remain intact in others. The phylogenetic implications of these patterns of disjunct degeneration are discussed.
Published
1999-01-01
How to Cite
F. Marin, M. Gillibert, P. Westbroek, G. Muyzer, & Y. Dauphin. (1999). Evolution: disjunct degeneration of immunological determinants. Netherlands Journal of Geosciences, 135-139. https://doi.org/10.70712/njg.v.12271
Issue
Volume 78 - 1999
Section
Regular paper
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