Abstract
Information on major histocompatibility complex (MHC) diversity in cattle is important to aid our understanding of immune responses and may contribute to maintenance of healthy cattle populations. Equally, understanding the mechanisms involved in generating this diversity may shed light on the complex nature of mammalian MHC evolution. The aim of this study was to assess molecular and serological variation within cattle MHC class I molecules and to study the mechanisms generating diversity. To address this aim, sequence variation was examined in 12 serologically assigned alleles from three putative loci and correlated with monoclonal antibody (mAb) binding data. The results demonstrate that both alloantisera and mAbs often fail to distinguish gene products that differ by a significant number of amino acids. Conversely, some mAbs could distinguish alleles differing by only one or two amino acids. Examination of the sequences demonstrates sharing of motifs between alleles, some encoded at distinct loci, supporting the occurrence of interlocus recombination within the cattle MHC class I region. The implications of this for MHC sequence diversity, and functional capability, are discussed.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bensaid A, Kaushal A, Baldwin CL, Clevers H, Young JR, Kemp SJ, MacHugh ND, Toye PG, Teale AJ (1991) Identification of expressed bovine class I MHC genes at 2 loci and demonstration of physical linkage. Immunogenetics 33:247–254
Davies CJ, Joosten I, Bernoco D, Arriens M, Bester J, Ceriotti G, Ellis SA, Hensen EJ, Hines HC, Horin P, Kristensen B, Lewin HA, Morgan AL, Morita M, Nilsson P, Oliver RA, Orlova A, Ostergard H, Park CA, Simon M, Spooner RL, Stewart JA (1994) Polymorphism of bovine MHC class I genes. Joint report of the fifth international BoLA workshop. Eur J Immunogenet 21:239–258
Di Palma F, Archibald SD, Young JR, Ellis SA (2002) A BAC contig of approximately 400 kb contains the classical class I MHC genes of cattle. Eur J Immunogenet 29:65–68
Ellis SA (2004) The cattle MHC: is it unique? Vet Pathol and Immunopathol 102:1–8
Ellis SA, Staines KA, Morrison WI (1996) cDNA sequence of cattle MHC class I genes transcribed in serologically defined haplotypes A18 and A31. Immunogenetics 43:156–159
Ellis SA, Staines KA, Stear MJ, Hensen EJ, Morrison WI (1998) DNA typing for BoLA class I using PCR-SSP. Eur J Immunogenet 25:365–370
Ellis SA, Holmes EC, Staines KA, Smith KB, Stear MJ, McKeever DJ, MacHugh ND, Morrison WI (1999) Variation in the number of expressed MHC genes in different cattle class I haplotypes. Immunogenetics 50:319–328
Garber TL, Hughes AL, Watkins DI, Templeton JW (1994) Evidence for at least three transcribed BoLA class I loci. Immunogenetics 39:257–263
Goddeeris BMA (1990) A bovine class I MHC molecule plus a Theileria parva antigen resembles mouse H-2Kd. Anim Genet 21:323–328
Holmes EC, Roberts AFC, Staines KA, Ellis SA (2003) Evolution of MHC class I genes in Cetartiodactyls. Immunogenetics 55:193–202
Hughes AL, Yeager M (1998) Natural selection at MHC loci of vertebrates. Annu Rev Genet 32:415–435
Loftus RT, MacHugh DE, Bradley DE, Sharp PM, Cunningham P (1994) Evidence for 2 independent domestications of domestic cattle. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 91:2757–2761
Marsh SGE, Parham P, Barber LD (2000) In: the HLA FactsBook pp 62–63, Academic
Miltiadou D, Ballingall KT, Ellis SA, Russell GC, McKeever DJ (2005) Haplotype characterization of transcribed ovine major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I genes. Immunogenetics DOI 10.1007/s00251-005-0008-y
Parham P, Ohta T (1996) Population biology of antigen presentation by MHC class I molecules. Science 272:67–74
Parham P, Adams EJ, Arnett KL (1995) The origins of HLA-A, B, C polymorphism. Immunol Rev 143:141–180
Pichowski JS, Ellis SA, Morrison WI (1996) Sequence of 2 cattle MHC class I cDNAs associated with BoLA specificity A10. Immunogenetics 43:253–254
Robinson J, Waller MJ, Stoehr P, Marsh SGE (2005) IPD—the Immuno Polymorphism Database. Nucleic Acids Res 33:523–526
Stear MJ, Pokorny TS, Fryda-Bradley S, Lie O, Bull RW (1990) Genetic analysis of the antigens defined at the third international BoLA workshop. J Immunogenet 17:21–28
Taracha EL, Goddeeris BM, Teale AJ, Kemp SJ, Morrison WI (1995) Parasite strain specificity of bovine cytotoxic T cell responses to Theileria parva is determined primarily by immunodominance. J Immunol 155:4854–4860
Acknowledgements
This work was supported by the Biological Sciences and Biotechnology Research Council, UK. We would like to thank Karen Staines for technical assistance. Experiments carried out in this study comply with the UK law.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Ellis, S.A., Morrison, W.I., MacHugh, N.D. et al. Serological and molecular diversity in the cattle MHC class I region. Immunogenetics 57, 601–606 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00251-005-0027-8
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00251-005-0027-8