Evolution of MHC class I genes in Japanese and Russian raccoon dogs, Nyctereutes procyonoides (Carnivora: Canidae).

ABSTRACT: Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) genes have been widely studied to assess the immunological fitness and evolutionary adaptation of animal populations. Among the Canidae, the raccoon dog's adventurous nature, omnivorous behavior, and high variability of intracellular pathogens make it ideal to study selection on MHC class I in a non-model canid species. Here, we examined allelic diversity and evolutionary patterns of MHC class I genes in the raccoon dog (Nyctereutes procyonoides). We identified 48 novel MHC class I alleles from 31 raccoon dogs from Japan and Russia. Some alleles were geographically restricted, whereas others were widely distributed across the species' range. The rate of non-synonymous substitutions was greater than that of synonymous substitutions for both exon

SUBMITTER: Bartocillo AMF 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7957040 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature