365NEWSX
365NEWSX
Subscribe

Welcome

Anglerfish Physically Fuse to Their Mates, And We Finally Know How That's Possible - ScienceAlert

Anglerfish Physically Fuse to Their Mates, And We Finally Know How That's Possible - ScienceAlert

Anglerfish Physically Fuse to Their Mates, And We Finally Know How That's Possible - ScienceAlert
Aug 01, 2020 1 min, 9 secs

Human organ transplantation requires lifelong immunosuppressants, because vertebrate immune systems are evolved to attack foreign matter that may pose a threat.

Studying the genomes of 10 different anglerfish species, scientists have found these fish have differences in several crucial parts of the vertebrate immune system.

"These findings hinted at the possibility that the immune system of anglerfishes was very unusual among the tens of thousands of vertebrate species.".

"The study thus shows that despite several hundred million years of co-evolutionary partnership of innate and adaptive functions, vertebrates can survive without the adaptive immune facilities previously considered to be irreplaceable," says immunologist Thomas Boehm from the Max Planck Institute.

The question has thus gone from: how did anglerfish evolve to survive fusing with another?; to: how did anglerfish evolve to survive without the most crucial parts of the vertebrate immune system? .

"Our findings challenge the view that, once innate and adaptive immune systems have engaged in co-evolution, neither arm can be eliminated without detrimental consequences," the authors write.

Instead, it appears that anglerfish have lost key aspects of this adaptive immune system after it evolved among most vertebrates some 500 million years ago.

As of now, we can't say for sure why these anglerfish have adapted such odd immune systems, but it seems likely that it's somehow tied to their strange reproductive habits. And these are most likely driven, in some way, by their lonesome environment

Summarized by 365NEWSX ROBOTS

RECENT NEWS

SUBSCRIBE

Get monthly updates and free resources.

CONNECT WITH US

© Copyright 2024 365NEWSX - All RIGHTS RESERVED