Watkins D I, Hodi F S, Letvin N L
Harvard Medical School, New England Regional Primate Research Center, Southborough, MA 01772.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1988 Oct;85(20):7714-8. doi: 10.1073/pnas.85.20.7714.
Extensive polymorphism at the major histo-compatibility complex (MHC) is thought to confer immune protection on populations. A New World primate, the cotton-top tamarin (Saguinus oedipus), has a high prevalence of ulcerative colitis and adenocarcinoma of the colon and dies after infection with several human viruses. Lymphocytes from all animals tested expressed on common MHC class I allelic product. Another MHC class I allelic product was expressed by 39 of 41 tested animals. Four other allelic products were also expressed on the lymphocytes of these animals at a frequency of greater than 50%. MHC class II gene products, however, were polymorphic. Restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis confirmed that there were a limited number of cotton-top tamarin MHC class I alleles, whereas the MHC class II gene loci were polymorphic. This sharing of MHC class I alleles is unprecedented in a higher primate species and may play a role in the susceptibility of this endangered species to pathogens.
主要组织相容性复合体（MHC）的广泛多态性被认为能为种群提供免疫保护。一种新世界灵长类动物——棉顶狨（Saguinus oedipus），溃疡性结肠炎和结肠癌的患病率很高，感染几种人类病毒后会死亡。所有受试动物的淋巴细胞都表达一种常见的MHC I类等位基因产物。41只受试动物中有39只表达了另一种MHC I类等位基因产物。另外四种等位基因产物在这些动物的淋巴细胞上的表达频率也超过了50%。然而，MHC II类基因产物具有多态性。限制性片段长度多态性分析证实，棉顶狨的MHC I类等位基因数量有限，而MHC II类基因座具有多态性。这种MHC I类等位基因的共享在高等灵长类物种中是前所未有的，可能在这种濒危物种对病原体的易感性中起作用。
