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Evolution of the MHC class I genes of a New World primate from ancestral homologues of human non-classical genes

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Abstract

THE products of the classical human major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I genes (HLA-A, -B, -C) are highly polymorphic molecules that bind peptides and present them to T lymphocytes1–4. The non-polymorphic, non-classical MHC class I gene products (HLA-E, -F, -G) are not restricting elements for the majority of T lymphocytes5–7. The evolutionary relationship of the non-classical and classical MHC class I genes is unclear. Here we present the cloning and sequencing of the MHC class I genes of a New World primate, the cotton-top tamarin (Saguinus oedipus). The expressed MHC class I genes of this species are more closely related to the human non-classical HLA-G (ref. 7) gene than they are to genes of the human classical HLA-A, -B, and -C loci. These observations imply that classical and non-classical genes do not necessarily constitute mutually exclusive groups over evolutionary time.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Harvard Medical School, New England Regional Primate Research Center, Southborough, Massachusetts, 01772

    David I. Watkins, Zheng W. Chen, Mark G. Evans & Norman L. Letvin

  2. Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, 02115, USA

    Thomas F. Tedder

  3. Center for Demographic and Population Genetics, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Texas, 77225, USA

    Austin L. Hughes

Authors
  1. David I. Watkins
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  2. Zheng W. Chen
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  3. Austin L. Hughes
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  4. Mark G. Evans
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  5. Thomas F. Tedder
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  6. Norman L. Letvin
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Watkins, D., Chen, Z., Hughes, A. et al. Evolution of the MHC class I genes of a New World primate from ancestral homologues of human non-classical genes. Nature 346, 60–63 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1038/346060a0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/346060a0

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