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Differential evolutionary MHC class II strategies in humans and rhesus macaques: relevance for biomedical studies
Author(s) -
Doxiadis Gaby G. M.,
Otting Nel,
de Groot Natasja G.,
Bontrop Ronald E.
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
immunological reviews
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.839
H-Index - 223
eISSN - 1600-065X
pISSN - 0105-2896
DOI - 10.1034/j.1600-065x.2001.1830106.x
Subject(s) - rhesus macaque , biology , allele , major histocompatibility complex , genetics , human leukocyte antigen , mhc class i , balancing selection , population , transplantation , histocompatibility , gene , immunology , antigen , medicine , demography , surgery , sociology
Summary: The rhesus macaque is an important preclinical model in transplantation research and in investigations of chronic and infectious diseases that need a well‐characterised major histocompatibility complex ( MHC‐Mamu ). In a large population of pedigreed rhesus macaques, 70 Mamu‐DRB , 18 ‐DQA1 , 24 ‐DQB1 , and 14 ‐DPB1 alleles were detected. In humans, five HLA‐DRB region configurations are present, displaying diversity with regard to number and combinations of loci. The HLA‐DRB1 gene of each of these configurations is highly polymorphic. For rhesus monkeys, at least 31 Mamu‐DRB region configurations have been determined. In contrast to humans, most Mamu‐DRB region configurations display no or only limited allelic polymorphism. Segregation analyses revealed 28 Mamu‐DQA1/DQB1 pairs, each pair linked to a limited number of Mamu‐DRB region configurations and vice versa. In comparison with humans, the degree of freedom of recombination between Mamu‐DQA1 and ‐DQB1 is extremely low and equivalents of HLA‐DQA2/DQB2 are absent. The Mamu‐DPA1 gene is invariant and ‐DPB1 manifests only moderate allelic variation, whereas the HLA‐DPA1 gene is oligomorphic and HLA‐DPB1 highly polymorphic. Thus, both species used different evolutionary strategies to create polymorphism and diversity at the MHC class II loci in order to cope with pathogens.