Experimental viral evolution to specific host MHC genotypes reveals fitness and virulence trade-offs in alternative MHC types.

ABSTRACT: The unprecedented genetic diversity found at vertebrate MHC (major histocompatibility complex) loci influences susceptibility to most infectious and autoimmune diseases. The evolutionary explanation for how these polymorphisms are maintained has been controversial. One leading explanation, antagonistic coevolution (also known as the Red Queen), postulates a never-ending molecular arms race where pathogens evolve to evade immune recognition by common MHC alleles, which in turn provides a selective advantage to hosts carrying rare MHC alleles. This cyclical process leads to negative frequency-dependent selection and promotes MHC diversity if two conditions are met: (i) pathogen adaptation must produce trade-offs that result in pathogen fitness being higher in familiar (i.e., host MHC genotyp

SUBMITTER: Kubinak JL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3295311 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature