Molecular Evolution of Interferon-Epsilon (IFNε) Pseudogene Modulates Innate and Specific Antiviral Immunity in Manis javanica

Abstract

Interferon-Epsilon (IFNε) is a type of interferon, a protein that plays a role in the immune response to viral infections. This study is aimed at examining the molecular evolution of the IFNε pseudogene in Manis javanica, and it has been found to modulate the innate and specific antiviral immunity in this species. In this study, we identified that IFNε gene has undergone rapid evolution in Manis javanica, with the human and primate IFNε genes showing evidence of positive selection. This suggests that IFNε has played an important role in the evolution of the immune system, possibly in response to coevolution with viral pathogens. Comparative genomic analysis revealed that the IFNε pseudogene in pangolins originated from a gene duplication event approximately 48 million years ago. It subsequently lost its protein-coding function due to multiple deleterious mutations. However, the IFNε pseudogene exhibits a high degree of conservation in its promoter region, suggesting it may still play a regulatory role in antiviral immunity. This suggests that the pseudogene may have evolved to serve an important function in the pangolin’s immune system, potentially helping to protect it from viral infections. The molecular evolution of IFNε provides insights into the coevolutionary dynamics between host immune systems and viral pathogens and may have implications for developing new antiviral therapies.