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Immunology in natura: clinical, epidemiological and evolutionary genetics of infectious diseases

Nature Immunology volume 8, pages 1165–1171 (2007)Cite this article

Abstract

The field of human genetics of infectious diseases defines the genes and alleles rendering individuals (clinical genetics) and populations (epidemiological genetics) vulnerable to infection, and studies those selected by previous infections (evolutionary genetics). These disciplines—clinical, epidemiological and evolutionary genetics—delineate the redundant and nonredundant functions of host defense genes for past and present survival in natura—in natural ecosystems governed by natural selection. These disciplines, in other words, assess the ecologically relevant and evolutionarily selected roles of human genes and alleles in protective immunity to diverse and evolving microorganisms. The genetic dissection of human immunity to infection in natura provides unique immunological insight, making it an indispensable complement to experimental immunology in vitro and in vivo in plants and animals.

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Figure 1: Pasteur's pedigree and the genetic theory of infectious diseases.
Figure 2: Human genetics of infectious diseases.
Figure 3: The human model: a genetic dissection of immunity in natura.
Figure 4: Examples of genes characterized by clinical, epidemiological and evolutionary genetic approaches in natura.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the members of our laboratories for discussions and our patients and collaborators worldwide for their trust and patience. Supported by INSERM, University Paris René Descartes, Institut Pasteur, Agence Nationale de la Recherche, the BNP Paribas Foundation, the Schlumberger Foundation, the European Union, the Dana Foundation, the March of Dimes and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

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  1. Lluis Quintana-Murci, Alexandre Alcaïs, Laurent Abel and Jean-Laurent Casanova: These authors contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Human Evolutionary Genetics Unit, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique URA3012, Pasteur Institute, Paris, 75015, France

    Lluis Quintana-Murci

  2. Laboratory of Human Genetics of Infectious Diseases, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale U550, Necker Medical School, Paris, 75015, France

    Alexandre Alcaïs, Laurent Abel & Jean-Laurent Casanova

  3. University Paris René Descartes, Necker Medical School, Paris, 75015, France

    Alexandre Alcaïs, Laurent Abel & Jean-Laurent Casanova

  4. Pediatric Hematology and Immunology Unit, Necker Children's Hospital, Paris, 75015, France

    Jean-Laurent Casanova

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  1. Lluis Quintana-Murci
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Correspondence to Jean-Laurent Casanova.

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Quintana-Murci, L., Alcaïs, A., Abel, L. et al. Immunology in natura: clinical, epidemiological and evolutionary genetics of infectious diseases. Nat Immunol 8, 1165–1171 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1038/ni1535

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