There is a developing interest in how immune genes may function in other physiological
roles, and how traditionally non-immune peptides may, in fact, be active in immune contexts …

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are important elements of the innate immune defence in
multicellular organisms that target and kill microbes. Here, we reflect on the various points …

Genes involved in immune defence are among the fastest evolving in the genomes of many
species. Interestingly, however, genes encoding antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have shown …

The simultaneous expression of costly immune effectors such as multiple antimicrobial
peptides is a hallmark of innate immunity of multicellular organisms, yet the adaptive …

The comparative analysis of innate immunity across different insect taxa has revealed
unanticipated evolutionary plasticity, providing intriguing examples of immunity-related …

Many insect genomes have been sequenced and the innate immune responses of several
species have been studied by transcriptomics, inviting the comparative analysis of immunity …

Antimicrobial peptides are host-encoded immune effectors that combat pathogens and
shape the microbiome in plants and animals. However, little is known about how the host …

Evolutionary theory predicts a late-life decline in the force of natural selection, possibly
leading to late-life deregulations of the immune system. A potential outcome of such …

BACKGROUND Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are small proteins with potent antibacterial,
antiviral, and antifungal activity. AMPs are ubiquitous among multicellular eukaryotes, with …

Background Drosophila is an important model for studying the evolution of animal immunity,
due to the powerful genetic tools developed for D. melanogaster. However, Drosophila is an …