A limit to the divergent allele advantage model supported by variable pathogen recognition across HLA-DRB1 allele lineages.

ABSTRACT: Genetic diversity in human leukocyte antigen (HLA) molecules is thought to have arisen from the co-evolution between host and pathogen and maintained by balancing selection. Heterozygote advantage is a common proposed scenario for maintaining high levels of diversity in HLA genes, and extending from this, the divergent allele advantage (DAA) model suggests that individuals with more divergent HLA alleles bind and recognize a wider array of antigens. While the DAA model seems biologically suitable for driving HLA diversity, there is likely an upper threshold to the amount of sequence divergence. We used peptide-binding and pathogen-recognition capacity of DRB1 alleles as a model to further explore the DAA model; within the DRB1 locus, we examined binding predictions based on two distinct ph

SUBMITTER: Lau Q 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5054888 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature