A conserved gene cluster as a putative functional unit in insect innate immunity

The Nimrod gene superfamily is an important component of the innate immune response. The majority of its member genes are located in close proximity within the Drosophila melanogaster genome and they lie in a larger conserved cluster (“Nimrod cluster”), made up of non-related groups (families, superfamilies) of genes. This cluster has been a part of the Arthropod genomes for about 300–350 million years. The available data suggest that the Nimrod cluster is a functional module of the insect innate immune response.