Characterization of MHC class I in a long distance migratory wader, the Icelandic black-tailed godwit.

ABSTRACT: The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) encodes proteins that are central for antigen presentation and pathogen elimination. MHC class I (MHC-I) genes have attracted a great deal of interest among researchers in ecology and evolution and have been partly characterized in a wide range of bird species. So far, the main focus has been on species within the bird orders Galliformes and Passeriformes, while Charadriiformes remain vastly underrepresented with only two species studied to date. These two Charadriiformes species exhibit striking differences in MHC-I characteristics and MHC-I diversity. We therefore set out to study a third species within Charadriiformes, the Icelandic subspecies of black-tailed godwits (Limosa limosa islandica). This subspecies is normally confined to parasite-po

SUBMITTER: Pardal S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5486808 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature