Abstract
High polymorphism in major histocompatibility complex (MHC) genes plays an essential role in the adaptive immune system of vertebrates for defense against various pathogens. To further understand the evolution of MHC in wildlife, partial sequences of exon 2 in MHC class II DRB genes were determined and analyzed for the Japanese marten (Martes melampus), which is endemic to Japan. From 26 individuals, 17 DRB alleles (Mame-DRBs) and four presumed pseudogenes were identified, some of them geographically widespread and others of limited distribution. Mixed-effect model evolution (MEME) and single breakpoint recombination (SBP) analyses indicated six amino acid positions under positive selection and one recombination site, respectively, that are implicated in maintaining the diversity of Mame-DRBs. In a Bayesian phylogenetic tree, Mame-DRBs did not group monophyletically, but were scattered among seven sub-clades, each containing DRBs from one or more other mustelid species. This trans-species polymorphism of Mame-DRBs has resulted from long-term balancing selection.
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Acknowledgments
We thank the Tsushima Wildlife Conservation Center, Minoru Baba (Kitakyushu Museum of Natural History and Human History), Norio Miyamoto (Omachi Alpine Museum), Seiichiro Dakemoto, Keiji Ochiai (Natural History Museum and Institute, Chiba), and Shuuji Yachimori (Shikoku Institute of Natural History) for providing samples, and Yosuke Amaike (Hokkaido University) and other laboratory members for useful comments. We are also grateful to Dr. Matthew H. Dick for editing the manuscript.
Funding
This study was supported in part by a JSPS KAKENHI Grant (No. 18H05508) and a Joint Research Program Grant from the Japan Arctic Research Network Centre.
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Communicated by: Andrzej Zalewski
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Hosotani, S., Nishita, Y. & Masuda, R. Genetic diversity and evolution of the MHC class II DRB gene in the Japanese marten, Martes melampus (Carnivora: Mustelidae). Mamm Res 65, 573–582 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13364-020-00506-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13364-020-00506-x