Cheng Yuanyuan, Siddle Hannah V, Beck Stephan, Eldridge Mark D B, Belov Katherine
Faculty of Veterinary Science, RMC Gunn B19, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
Immunogenetics. 2009 Feb;61(2):111-8. doi: 10.1007/s00251-008-0347-6. Epub 2008 Dec 12.
High levels of MHC diversity are crucial for immunological fitness of populations, with island populations particularly susceptible to loss of genetic diversity. In this study, the level of MHC class II DBB diversity was examined in tammar wallabies (Macropus eugenii) from Kangaroo Island by genotyping class II-linked microsatellite loci and sequencing of DBB genes. Here we show that the tammar wallaby has at least four expressed MHC class II DBB loci and extensive genetic variation in the peptide-binding region of the DBB genes. These results contradict early studies which suggested that wallabies lacked MHC class II diversity and demonstrate that, in spite of the long-term isolation on an offshore island, this population of wallabies has a high level of DBB diversity.
高水平的主要组织相容性复合体（MHC）多样性对于种群的免疫适应性至关重要，岛屿种群尤其容易丧失遗传多样性。在本研究中，通过对与II类相关的微卫星位点进行基因分型以及对DBB基因进行测序，检测了袋鼠岛短尾矮袋鼠（Macropus eugenii）的MHC II类DBB多样性水平。我们在此表明，短尾矮袋鼠至少有四个表达的MHC II类DBB位点，并且DBB基因的肽结合区域存在广泛的遗传变异。这些结果与早期研究结果相矛盾，早期研究表明袋鼠缺乏MHC II类多样性，并且证明，尽管在近海岛屿上长期隔离，这一短尾矮袋鼠种群仍具有高水平的DBB多样性。
