Genetic regulation of immunoglobulins

There are two kinds of recognition: Natural recognition and adaptive immune recognition, which playa vital role in protecting vertebrates from foreign material. Natural recognition is based on phagocytic and alternate complement pathways while adaptive immune recognition is based on the role of lymphocytes and is possible only because of the evolution in the three sets of cell surface receptors, each showing extensive heterogeneity. These three sets of cell receptors are the antibody molecule, T-cell receptors and molecule of major histocompatibility complex (MHC), On the basis of molecular biology it has been found that all these three cell surface receptors have evolved from a single precursor, a primitive recognition molecule. The phylogenetic origin of vertebrate adaptive immune system is still not well understood. Only vertebrates produce lymphocytes with a highly specific long term memory components and among vertebrates, mammals have most effective structural and functional immune system.