Ancient trans-species polymorphism at the Major Histocompatibility Complex in primates.

ABSTRACT: Classical genes within the Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) are responsible for peptide presentation to T cells, thus playing a central role in immune defense against pathogens. These genes are subject to strong selective pressures including both balancing and directional selection, resulting in exceptional genetic diversity-thousands of alleles per gene in humans. Moreover, some allelic lineages appear to be shared between primate species, a phenomenon known as trans-species polymorphism (TSP) or incomplete lineage sorting, which is rare in the genome overall. However, despite the clinical and evolutionary importance of MHC diversity, we currently lack a full picture of primate MHC evolution. In particular, we do not know to what extent genes and allelic lineages are retained across

SUBMITTER: Fortier AL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12431779 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature