Comprehensive identification of high-frequency and co-occurring Mafa-DPA1, Mafa-DQA1, Mafa-DRA, and Mafa-DOA alleles in Vietnamese cynomolgus macaques

Identification of five novel MHC class II alleles in cynomolgus macaques of Vietnamese origin

We report here the identification of one Mafa-DPA1 and four Mafa-DQB1 novel alleles of Vietnamese cynomolgus macaques.

Ten novel MHC class II alleles identified in cynomolgus macaques of Vietnamese origin

Five Mafa-DPB1, two Mafa-DQB1 and three Mafa-DRB novel alleles are identified in Vietnamese cynomolgus macaques.

Comprehensive identification of high-frequency and combination MHC-DMA and -DMB alleles in a cohort of Chinese rhesus macaques and cynomolgus macaques of Vietnamese origin

Rhesus and cynomolgus macaques are currently used as ideal animal models of immune response. Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules play important roles in the susceptibility and/or resistance to many diseases. In this study, MHC-DMA and -DMB were first characterized by sequencing and cloning in 28 unrelated cynomolgus macaques from Vietnam and 34 unrelated Chinese rhesus macaques. A total of 23 novel alleles, including six high frequency alleles, were identified in this study. Our results showed that the alleles with the highest phenotypic frequencies were Mafa-DMA(∗)02:04:03 (57.1%), Mafa-DMB(∗)03:01:02 (76.9%), Mamu-DMA(∗)02:01:04 (88.2%), and Mamu-DMB(∗)03:02:02 (85%), respectively, indicating that distribution and frequencies of alleles had a few differences between Chinese rhesus macaques and cynomolgus macaques from Vietnam. Interestingly, compared to the cynomolgus macaques, we found that the combination of Mamu-DMA(∗)02:01:04-DMB(∗)03:02:02 was detected in 27 (79.4%) of 34 monkeys, suggesting that the combination of the MHC-DMA and -DMB alleles was probably a characteristic feature of the Chinese rhesus macaques. Our results will greatly increase the value of the two species as models for biomedical research.

Identification of Mamu-DPA1, Mamu-DQA1, and Mamu-DRA alleles in a cohort of Chinese rhesus macaques

Rhesus macaques have long been used as animal models for various human diseases; the susceptibility and/or resistance to some of these diseases are related to the major histocompatibility complex (MHC). To gain insight into the MHC background and to facilitate the experimental use of Chinese rhesus macaques, Mamu-DPA1, Mamu-DQA1, and Mamu-DRA alleles were investigated in 30 Chinese rhesus macaques by gene cloning and sequencing. A total of 14 Mamu-DPA1, 17 Mamu-DQA1, and 9 Mamu-DRA alleles were identified in this study. Of these alleles, 22 novel sequences have not been documented in earlier studies, including nine Mamu-DPA1, ten Mamu-DQA1, and three Mamu-DRA alleles. Interestingly, like Mafa-DQA1 and Mafa-DPA1, more than two Mamu-DQA1 and Mamu-DPA1 alleles were detected in one animal in this study, which suggested that they might represent gene duplication. If our findings can be validated by other studies, it will further increase the number of known Mamu-DPA1 and Mamu-DQA1 polymorphisms. Our data also indicated significant differences in MHC class II allele distribution among the Chinese rhesus macaques, Vietnamese cynomolgus macaques, and the previously reported rhesus macaques, which were mostly of Indian origin. This information will not only promote the understanding of Chinese rhesus macaque MHC diversity and polymorphism but will also facilitate the use of Chinese rhesus macaques in studies of human disease.