Litman G W, Erickson B W, Lederman L, Mäkelä O
Mol Cell Biochem. 1982 May 28;45(1):49-57. doi: 10.1007/BF01283163.
Appropriately selected phylogenetic models are capable of providing insight into genetic mechanisms which may have become obscured during the passage of evolutionary time. In higher vertebrates a complex multigenic family encodes immunoglobulin-variable regions. The mechanisms involved in the expansion of the gene family and the stable maintenance of large numbers of individual genes presently are not understood. By defining the nature of antibody diversity in lower vertebrate species, it may be possible to approach such issues at a more fundamental level. Analyses of the immunoglobulins in Heterodontus francisci (horned shark), a representative phylogenetically primitive elasmobranch, indicate that this species may represent a useful developmental model.
适当选择的系统发育模型能够深入了解在进化过程中可能变得模糊不清的遗传机制。在高等脊椎动物中，一个复杂的多基因家族编码免疫球蛋白可变区。目前尚不清楚基因家族扩展和大量单个基因稳定维持所涉及的机制。通过确定低等脊椎动物物种中抗体多样性的本质，有可能在更基础的层面探讨此类问题。对有代表性的系统发育上原始的板鳃亚纲动物角鲨的免疫球蛋白分析表明，该物种可能是一个有用的发育模型。
