Neutral and selective processes shape MHC gene diversity and expression in stocked brook charr populations (Salvelinus fontinalis).

ABSTRACT

The capacity of an individual to battle infection is an important fitness determinant in wild vertebrate populations. The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) genes are crucial for a host's adaptive immune system to detect pathogens. However, anthropogenic activities may disrupt natural cycles of co-evolution between hosts and pathogens. In this study, we investigated the dynamic sequence and expression variation of host parasite interactions in brook charr (Salvelinus fontinalis) in a context of past human disturbance via population supplementation from domestic individuals. To do so, we developed a new method to examine selection shaping MHC diversity within and between populations and found a complex interplay between neutral and selective processes that varied between lakes that were investigated. We provided evidence for a lower introgression rate of domestic alleles and found that parasite infection increased with domestic genomic background of individuals. We also documented an association between individual MHC alleles and parasite taxa. Finally, longer cis-regulatory minisatellites were positively correlated with MHC II down-regulation and domestic admixture, suggesting that inadvertent selection during domestication resulted in a lower immune response capacity, through a trade-off between growth and immunity, which explained the negative selection of domestic alleles at least under certain circumstances.