Recently, scientists from Norway have investigated and present the genome sequence of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua). The genome assembly was obtained exclusively by 454 sequencing of shotgun and paired-end libraries, and automated annotation identified 22,154 genes. Genome sequence provided evidence for complex thermal adaptations in its haemoglobin gene cluster and an unusual immune architecture compared to other sequenced vertebrates. Atlantic cod has lost the genes for MHC II, CD4 and invariant chain (Ii) that are conserved feature of the adaptive immune system of jawed vertebrates and, are essential for the function of this pathway. These observations affect fundamental assumptions about the evolution of the adaptive immune system and its components in vertebrates.
The study is published in the latest issue of Nature
