Diversification and adaptive sequence evolution of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Caenorhabditis</Emphasis>lysozymes (Nematoda: Rhabditidae)

Background  

Lysozymes are important model enzymes in biomedical research with a ubiquitous taxonomic distribution ranging from phages up to plants and animals. Their main function appears to be defence against pathogens, although some of them have also been implicated in digestion. Whereas most organisms have only few lysozyme genes, nematodes of the genus Caenorhabditis possess a surprisingly large repertoire of up to 15 genes.