Xuezhong Zhang¹ , Jun Wang²

1 Tropical Animal Medicine Research Center, Hainan Institute of Tropical Agricultural Resources, Sanya, 572025, Hainan, China
2 Animal Science Research Center, Cuixi Academy of Biotechnology, Zhuji, 311800, Zhejiang, China
Author    Correspondence author
International Journal of Molecular Veterinary Research, 2025, Vol. 15, No. 1   
Received: 10 Dec., 2024    Accepted: 15 Jan., 2025    Published: 25 Jan., 2025

This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

The Canidae family, which includes species such as wolves, foxes, and domestic dogs, inhabits diverse ecological environments and faces a wide range of pathogenic threats. This study employs a comparative genomics approach to explore the genetic diversity, evolutionary trajectories, and functional adaptations of immune genes in canids. It focuses on the structure and function of innate and adaptive immune genes, and on the roles of natural selection, gene duplication, and horizontal gene transfer in shaping the immune gene repertoire, as well as the unique adaptations found in wild and domesticated canids. Advances in next-generation sequencing technology have facilitated the identification and classification of immune genes, revealing mechanisms that are both conserved across mammalian lineages and species-specific. Special emphasis is placed on the critical role of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) in pathogen recognition and its implications for disease resistance and species conservation. This study holds significant value for understanding mammalian immunity, informing conservation strategies, and guiding the development of veterinary interventions aimed at enhancing pathogen resistance in both wild and domesticated canids.

Immune system evolution; Comparative genomics; Major histocompatibility complex (MHC); Pathogen pressure; Canid adaptation