Divergent Evolution of TRC Genes in Mammalian Niche Adaptation.

Mammals inhabit a wide variety of ecological niches, which in turn can be affected by various ecological factors, especially in relation to immunity. The canonical TRC repertoire (, and ) codes C regions of T cell receptor chains that form the primary antigen receptors involved in the activation of cellular immunity. At present, little is known about the correlation between the evolution of mammalian TRC genes and ecological factors. In this study, four types canonical of TRC genes were identified from 37 mammalian species. Phylogenetic comparative methods (phyANOVA and PGLS) and selective pressure analyses among different groups of ecological factors (habitat, diet, and sociality) were carried out. The results showed that habitat was the major ecological factor shaping mammalian TRC repertoires. Specifically, trade-off between numbers and positive selection of and the balanced evolutionary rates between and genes were speculated as two main mechanisms in adaption to habitat and sociality. Overall, our study suggested divergent mechanisms for the evolution of TRCs, prompting mammalian immunity adaptions within diverse niches.