Changes in the immune system lead to success

The sequencing of the Atlantic cod genome in 2011 demonstrated that this species lacks a crucial part of its immune system. In a follow-up study, Kjetill S. Jakobsen and collaborators have investigated a large number of additional fish species and found that this is a trait that Atlantic cod have in common with its close relatives, the codfishes. Further analyses show that the alternate immune system observed is associated with increased speciation rates, and a key to the success of this group of fishes. The results are now published in the world-leading journal Nature Genetics.

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