Department of Comparative Genetics and Refinement, Biomedical Primate Research Centre, Lange Kleiweg, Rijswijk, The Netherlands.
Eur J Immunol. 2011 Sep;41(9):2719-28. doi: 10.1002/eji.201141621. Epub 2011 Aug 4.
NK cells are essential in shaping immune responses and play an important role during pregnancy and in controlling infections. Killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIRs) educate the NK cell and determine its state of activation. Our goal was to determine how the KIR repertoire of the rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta) has been shaped during evolution. The presence or absence of 22 KIR gene groups was determined in 378 animals. Some unexpected observations were made in an outbred colony comprising animals of different origins. For instance, the KIR region appears to be highly plastic, and an unprecedented number of genotypes and haplotypes was observed. In contrast to humans, there is no distinction between group A and B haplotypes in the rhesus macaque, suggesting that different selective forces may be operative. Moreover, specific genes appear to be either present or absent in animals of different geographic origins. This extreme plasticity may have been propelled by co-evolution with the rhesus macaque MHC class I region, which shows signatures of expansion. The mosaic-like complexity of KIR genotypes as observed at the population level may represent an effective strategy for surviving epidemic infections.
自然杀伤 (NK) 细胞在塑造免疫反应方面发挥着重要作用，在妊娠期间和控制感染方面发挥着重要作用。杀伤细胞免疫球蛋白样受体 (KIR) 可对 NK 细胞进行教育并决定其激活状态。我们的目标是确定恒河猴 (Macaca mulatta) 的 KIR 基因库如何在进化过程中形成。在 378 只动物中确定了 22 个 KIR 基因群的存在或不存在。在一个由不同来源的动物组成的杂交群体中观察到了一些意外的观察结果。例如，KIR 区域似乎具有高度的可塑性，观察到了前所未有的基因型和单倍型数量。与人类不同，恒河猴中没有 A 组和 B 组单倍型的区别，这表明可能存在不同的选择压力。此外，不同地理起源的动物中似乎存在或不存在特定基因。这种极端的可塑性可能是与恒河猴 MHC Ⅰ类区域的共同进化推动的，该区域显示出扩张的特征。在群体水平上观察到的 KIR 基因型的镶嵌复杂性可能代表了一种应对流行感染的有效策略。
