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Evolution of MHC-DRB class II polymorphism in the genus Apodemus and a comparison of DRB sequences within the family Muridae (Mammalia: Rodentia)

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Abstract

Allelic diversity at major histocompatibility complex (MHC) genes is thought to be maintained by balancing selection over long periods of time, even across multiple speciation events. Trans-species sharing of MHC alleles among genera has been supported by many studies on mammals and fish, but in rodents, the results are ambiguous. We investigated natural levels of MHC-DRB variability and evolutionary processes in the wood mouse (Apodemus sylvaticus) and the yellow-necked mouse (Apodemus flavicollis), which are common, sympatric murid rodents in European forests. Using single-strand conformation polymorphism analysis and DNA sequencing, 38 DRB exon 2 alleles were detected among 162 A. sylvaticus from nine different locations in Germany and Switzerland, and 15 DRB exon 2 alleles were detected among 60 A. flavicollis from three different locations in northern Germany. There was evidence for balancing selection in both species. Phylogenetic analysis, including additional murid taxa, showed that the DRB exon 2 sequences did not separate according to species, consistent with trans-species evolution of the MHC in these taxa.

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Acknowledgements

We thank J.U. Ganzhorn for unflagging support and I. Tomaschewski for helping in the lab. Special thanks go to Anthony B. Wilson for much advice, helpful discussions, and comments on the manuscript. We appreciate the financial support provided by the Hanseatische Natur- und Umweltinitiative e.V. and the German Science Foundation (DFG).

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  1. Kerstin Musolf

    Present address: Konrad Lorenz Institute for Comparative Ethology, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Savoyenstrasse 1a, 1160, Vienna, Austria

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  1. Department of Animal Ecology and Conservation, Biozentrum Grindel, University of Hamburg, Martin-Luther-King-Platz 3, 20146, Hamburg, Germany

    Kerstin Musolf, Yvonne Meyer-Lucht & Simone Sommer

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  1. Kerstin Musolf
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  2. Yvonne Meyer-Lucht
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Correspondence to Kerstin Musolf.

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Musolf, K., Meyer-Lucht, Y. & Sommer, S. Evolution of MHC-DRB class II polymorphism in the genus Apodemus and a comparison of DRB sequences within the family Muridae (Mammalia: Rodentia). Immunogenetics 56, 420–426 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00251-004-0715-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00251-004-0715-9

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