Diversity of MHC DQB and DRB Genes in the Endangered Australian Sea Lion (Neophoca cinerea).
J Hered
; 106(4): 395-402, 2015.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-25908666
ABSTRACT
Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II molecules have an important role in vertebrate adaptive immunity, being responsible for recognizing, binding, and presenting specific antigenic peptides to T lymphocytes. Here, we study the MHC class II DQB and DRB exon 2 genes of the Australian sea lion (Neophoca cinerea), an endangered pinniped species that experiences high pup mortality. Following characterization of N. cinerea DQB and DRB by molecular cloning, and evaluation of diversity in pups across 2 colonies using variant screening (n = 47), 3 DQB alleles and 10 DRB variants (including 1 pseudogene allele) were identified. The higher diversity at DRB relative to DQB is consistent with other studies in marine mammals. Despite overall lower MHC class II allelic diversity relative to some other pinniped species, we observed similar levels of nucleotide diversity and selection in N. cinerea. In addition, we provide support for recent divergence of MHC class II alleles. The characterization of MHC class II diversity in the Australian sea lion establishes a baseline for further investigation of associations with disease, including endemic hookworm infection, and contributes to the conservation management of this species.
Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Variação Genética
/
Genes MHC da Classe II
/
Leões-Marinhos
Limite:
Animals
País/Região como assunto:
Oceania
Idioma:
En
Revista:
J Hered
Ano de publicação:
2015
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Austrália