Adaptive molecular evolution of the Major Histocompatibility Complex genes, DRA and DQA, in the genus Equus.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) genes are central to vertebrate immune response and are believed to be under balancing selection by pathogens. This hypothesis has been supported by observations of extremely high polymorphism, elevated nonsynonymous to synonymous base pair substitution rates and trans-species polymorphisms at these loci. In equids, the organization and variability of this gene family has been described, however the full extent of diversity and selection is unknown. As selection is not expected to act uniformly on a functional gene, maximum likelihood codon-based models of selection that allow heterogeneity in selection across codon positions can be valuable for examining MHC gene evolution and the molecular basis for species adaptations.

Results

SUBMITTER: Kamath PL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3126738 | biostudies-literature | 2011 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature