AUTHOR=Ramos-Martínez Edgar , Hernández-González Leticia , Ramos-Martínez Iván , Pérez-Campos Mayoral Laura , López-Cortés Georgina I. , Pérez-Campos Eduardo , Mayoral Andrade Gabriel , Hernández-Huerta María Teresa , José Marco V. 

TITLE=Multiple Origins of Extracellular DNA Traps

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Immunology

VOLUME=12

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/immunology/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2021.621311

DOI=10.3389/fimmu.2021.621311

ISSN=1664-3224

ABSTRACT=<p>Extracellular DNA traps (ETs) are evolutionarily conserved antimicrobial mechanisms present in protozoa, plants, and animals. In this review, we compare their similarities in species of different taxa, and put forward the hypothesis that ETs have multiple origins. Our results are consistent with a process of evolutionary convergence in multicellular organisms through the application of a congruency test. Furthermore, we discuss why multicellularity is related to the presence of a mechanism initiating the formation of ETs.</p>