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Gene conversion of the major histocompatibility complex class I Caja‐G in common marmosets ( Callithrix jacchus )
Author(s) -
Neehus AnnaLena,
Wistuba Joachim,
Ladas Nektarios,
EizVesper Britta,
Schlatt Stefan,
Müller Thomas
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
immunology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.297
H-Index - 133
eISSN - 1365-2567
pISSN - 0019-2805
DOI - 10.1111/imm.12652
Subject(s) - marmoset , biology , callithrix , genetics , major histocompatibility complex , allele , locus (genetics) , phylogenetic tree , population , gene , human leukocyte antigen , evolutionary biology , antigen , paleontology , demography , sociology
Summary Currently, the amount of sequenced and classified MHC class I genes of the common marmoset is limited, in spite of the wide use of this species as an animal model for biomedical research. In this study, 480 clones of MHC class I G locus (Caja‐G) cDNA sequences were obtained from 21 common marmosets. Up to 10 different alleles were detected in each common marmoset, leading to the assumption that the Caja‐G loci duplicated in the marmoset genome. In the investigated population, four alleles occurred more often, giving evidence for higher immunological advantage of these alleles. In contrast to the human non‐classical MHC class I genes, Caja‐G shows high rates of polymorphism at the relevant peptide‐binding sites, despite its phylogenetic relationship to the non‐classical HLA ‐G. Our results provide information for better understanding of the immunological properties of the common marmoset and confirm the theory of a gene conversion of the Caja‐G due to its detected plasticity and the absence of any known HLA ‐A equivalent.