Conservation, Evolutionary: Difference between revisions

In some cases, patches of highly variable (rapidly mutating) residues are also functional sites. These can also be identified with the [http://consurf.tau.ac.il ConSurf Server]. For example, mutations in influenza hemagglutinin help the virus to evade host defenses. Another example is the high allelic variability of the peptide-binding groove of [[Major Histocompatibility Complex Class I]]. That variability helps the grooves of the alleles within any individual to bind a wide range of peptides, hence enabling the T lymphocyte system to defend against a wide range of pathogens, including influenza virus.