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Polymorphism and transcription of Mhc class I genes in a passerine bird, the great reed warbler

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Author

Summary, in English

The class I genes of the major histocompatibility complex (Mhc) are here investigated for the first time in a passerine bird. The great reed warbler is a rare species in Sweden with a few semi-isolated populations. Yet, we found extensive Mhc class I variation in the study population. The variable exon 3, corresponding to the alpha(2) domain, was amplified from genomic DNA with degenerated primers. Seven different genomic class I sequences were detected in a single individual. One of the sequences had a deletion leading to a shift in the reading frame, indicating that it was not a functional gene. A randomly selected clone was used as a probe for restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) studies in combination with the restriction enzyme Pvu II. The RFLP pattern was complex with 21-25 RFLP fragments per individual and extensive variation. Forty-nine RFLP genotypes were detected in 55 tested individuals. To study the number of transcribed genes, we isolated 14 Mhc class I clones from a cDNA library from a single individual. We found eight different sequences of four different lengths (1.3-2.2 kilobases), suggesting there are at least four transcribed loci. The number of nonsynonymous substitutions (d(N)) in the peptide binding region of exon 3 were higher than the number of synonymous substitutions (d(S)), indicating balancing selection in this region. The number of transcribed genes and the numerous RFLP fragments found so far suggest that the great reed warbler does not have a "minimal essential Mhc" as has been suggested for the chicken.

Publishing year

1999

Language

English

Pages

158-170

Publication/Series

Immunogenetics

Volume

49

Issue

3

Document type

Journal article

Publisher

Springer

Topic

  • Biological Sciences

Keywords

  • evolution
  • recognition
  • b-gene
  • chicken mhc
  • nucleolar organizer
  • overdominant selection
  • nucleotide substitution
  • acrocephalus-arundinaceus
  • rfp-y
  • major histocompatibility complex
  • passeriformes
  • great reed warbler
  • transcription
  • Mhc class I genes
  • polymorphism

Status

Published

Project

  • Long-term study of great reed warblers
  • Avian MHC genes

Research group

  • Molecular Ecology and Evolution Lab

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISSN: 1432-1211