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Cutrera AP, Luna F, Zenuto RR. Acute-Phase Immune Response Involves Fever, Sickness Behavior, and an Elevated Metabolic Rate in the Subterranean Rodent Ctenomys talarum. Physiol Biochem Zool 2022; 95:183-199. [PMID: 35148257 DOI: 10.1086/718409] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2024]
Abstract
AbstractThe acute-phase response (APR) is an induced innate response and may involve pronounced physiological and behavioral changes. One of the most common assays to study the APR involves the use of a lypopolysaccharide (LPS) from the cell wall of gram-negative bacteria. In this study, we determined the energetic costs of the APR in the subterranean rodent Ctenomys talarum, as well as the effects of the exposure to LPS on body temperature, body mass loss, and behavior in this species. Furthermore, we monitored levels of circulating endotoxin after LPS exposure. Our results suggest that in C. talarum, the APR is energetically costly, resulting in a 14% increase in metabolic rate. Animals exposed to LPS experienced a short-term thermal response, weight loss, and changes in their behavior that included more time spent resting and with their eyes totally or partially closed. However, the magnitude of the effects of LPS exposure varied between sexes and among animals. Also, there was a clear peak in circulating endotoxin levels in plasma 3 h postinjection (hpi) and a significant decrease of these levels 24 hpi, but peak endotoxin concentration values recorded were highly variable among animals. In light of these results, ecological determinants of immune function variation in tuco-tucos are discussed considering the roles of pace of life, habitat, and degree of pathogen exposure in these subterranean rodents.
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Meléndez-Rosa J, Bi K, Lacey EA. Genomic analysis of MHC-based mate choice in the monogamous California mouse. Behav Ecol 2018; 29:1167-1180. [PMID: 30214134 PMCID: PMC6129947 DOI: 10.1093/beheco/ary096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2017] [Revised: 06/13/2018] [Accepted: 06/22/2018] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Variation at Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) genes is thought to be an important mechanism underlying mate choice in vertebrates, with individuals typically predicted to prefer MHC-dissimilar reproductive partners. However, analyses based on individual MHC loci have generated contradictory results regarding the role of these genes in mate-choice decisions. To provide a more comprehensive assessment of relationships between MHC variation and mating behavior, we used an exome capture strategy to characterize variability at 13 MHC loci, 312 innate immune system genes, and 1044 nonimmune genes in 25 obligate monogamous pairs of California mice (Peromyscus californicus) from 2 free-living populations of this species in Monterey County, California. Pairwise genotypic comparisons and analyses of SNP-based allelic differences failed to detect disassortative mating based on MHC variability; reproductive partners were not more dissimilar than randomly generated male-female pairs at MHC, innate or nonimmune loci. Within populations, individuals tended to be more closely related at MHC genes than at innate or nonimmune genes. Consistent with the functional role of immunogenes, the 2 study populations were highly differentiated at MHC and innate genes but not at nonimmune loci. Collectively, our results suggest that MHC genetic variation in California mice reflects local differences in pathogen exposure rather than disassortative mating based on variability at MHC Class I and II genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jesyka Meléndez-Rosa
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA
- Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley Valley Life Sciences Bldg., Berkeley, CA
| | - Ke Bi
- Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley Valley Life Sciences Bldg., Berkeley, CA
- Computational Genomics Resource, MC University of California, Berkeley, CA
| | - Eileen A Lacey
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA
- Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley Valley Life Sciences Bldg., Berkeley, CA
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Cutrera AP, Mora MS. Selection on MHC in a Context of Historical Demographic Change in 2 Closely Distributed Species of Tuco-tucos (Ctenomys australis and C. talarum). J Hered 2017; 108:628-639. [PMID: 28605534 DOI: 10.1093/jhered/esx054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2016] [Accepted: 06/07/2017] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Selection necessarily acts within the same current and historical demographic framework as neutral evolutionary processes, and the outcome of the interplay between these forces may vary according to their relative strength. In this study, we compare the variation at a major histocompatibility complex (MHC) locus (DRB exon 2), typically subject to strong diversifying selection, and mitochondrial diversity (D-loop) across populations encompassing the entire distribution of 2 species of South American subterranean rodents: Ctenomys australis and C. talarum (tuco-tucos). Although these species are parapatric along most of their distribution, historically they have followed distinct demographic trajectories associated with sea level changes during the Quaternary. We surveyed 8 populations of C. australis and 15 of C. talarum, from which we analyzed 70 and 212 D-loop haplotypes and 91 and 346 DRB genotypes, respectively. Both species have gone through a recent demographic expansion; however, the signal of this process only encompasses the entire distribution of one of the species: C. australis. While balancing selection on MHC in C. talarum-enhanced DRB diversity at the local level compared to D-loop, although not promoting divergence among populations, in C. australis local diversifying selection may have driven higher population differentiation at DRB than at D-loop. Our findings reinforce the idea that the relative strength of selection acting on MHC genes varies spatially and temporally within and among species, even between species using the same macrohabitat and exposed to similar immune challenges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Paula Cutrera
- Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras, CONICET - Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, Funes 3350, Mar del Plata (7600), Argentina
| | - Matías Sebastián Mora
- Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras, CONICET - Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, Funes 3350, Mar del Plata (7600), Argentina
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Spatial distribution of microsatellite and MHC-DRB exon 2 gene variability in the Jamaican fruit bat (Artibeus jamaicensis) in Mexico. Mamm Biol 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.mambio.2016.12.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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Real-Monroy MD, Martínez-Méndez N, Ortega J. MHC-DRB Exon 2 Diversity of the Jamaican Fruit-Eating Bat (Artibeus jamaicensis) from Mexico. ACTA CHIROPTEROLOGICA 2014. [DOI: 10.3161/150811014x687260] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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Cutrera AP, Zenuto RR, Lacey EA. Interpopulation differences in parasite load and variable selective pressures on MHC genes inCtenomys talarum. J Mammal 2014. [DOI: 10.1644/13-mamm-a-120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
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Kamath PL, Getz WM. Unraveling the effects of selection and demography on immune gene variation in free-ranging plains zebra (Equus quagga) populations. PLoS One 2012; 7:e50971. [PMID: 23251409 PMCID: PMC3522668 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0050971] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2012] [Accepted: 10/29/2012] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Demography, migration and natural selection are predominant processes affecting the distribution of genetic variation among natural populations. Many studies use neutral genetic markers to make inferences about population history. However, the investigation of functional coding loci, which directly reflect fitness, is critical to our understanding of species' ecology and evolution. Immune genes, such as those of the Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC), play an important role in pathogen recognition and provide a potent model system for studying selection. We contrasted diversity patterns of neutral data with MHC loci, ELA-DRA and -DQA, in two southern African plains zebra (Equus quagga) populations: Etosha National Park, Namibia, and Kruger National Park, South Africa. Results from neutrality tests, along with observations of elevated diversity and low differentiation across populations, supported previous genus-level evidence for balancing selection at these loci. Despite being low, MHC divergence across populations was significant and may be attributed to drift effects typical of geographically separated populations experiencing little to no gene flow, or alternatively to shifting allele frequency distributions driven by spatially variable and fluctuating pathogen communities. At the DRA, zebra exhibited geographic differentiation concordant with microsatellites and reduced levels of diversity in Etosha due to highly skewed allele frequencies that could not be explained by demography, suggestive of spatially heterogeneous selection and local adaptation. This study highlights the complexity in which selection affects immune gene diversity and warrants the need for further research on the ecological mechanisms shaping patterns of adaptive variation among natural populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pauline L Kamath
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley, California, United States of America.
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Wu HL, Tong CC, Li E, Luo TL. Insight into gene evolution within Cervidae and Bovidae through genetic variation in MHC-DQA in the black muntjac (Muntiacus crinifrons). GENETICS AND MOLECULAR RESEARCH 2012; 11:2888-98. [PMID: 22653641 DOI: 10.4238/2012.may.15.13] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
The critical role that the major histocompatibility complex plays in the immune recognition of parasites and pathogens makes its evolutionary dynamics exceptionally relevant to ecology, population biology, and conservation studies. The black muntjac is a rare deer endemic to a small mountainous region in eastern China. We found that this species has two DQA loci through cDNA expression and sequence variation analysis. The level of variation at both DQA loci was found to be extremely low (three alleles for DQA1 and four alleles for DQA2), possibly because of past bottlenecks and the species' relatively solitary behavior pattern. The ratio of d(N)/d(S) in the putative peptide binding region of the DQA2 locus (13.36, P = 0.012) was significantly larger than one but not that of DQA1 (0.94, P = 0.95), suggesting strong positive selection at the DQA2 but not at the DQA1 locus. This difference might reflect different sets of evolutionary selection pressures acting on the two loci. The phylogenetic tree showed that DQA1 alleles from two species of Cervidae and two of Bovidae grouped together, as did the DQA2 alleles. However, different genes from the four species were located in separate branches. These results lead us to suggest that these DQA alleles are derived from primordial DQA genes from a common ancestor and are maintained in Cervidae and Bovidae since their divergence around 25.5-27.8 million years ago.
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Affiliation(s)
- H-L Wu
- Key Laboratory for the Conservation and Utilization of Important Biological Resources, College of Life Sciences, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu, China.
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Cutrera AP, Fanjul MS, Zenuto RR. Females prefer good genes: MHC-associated mate choice in wild and captive tuco-tucos. Anim Behav 2012. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2012.01.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
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Campos JL, Bellocq JGD, Schaschl H, Suchentrunk F. MHC class II DQA gene variation across cohorts of brown hares (Lepus europaeus) from eastern Austria: Testing for different selection hypotheses. Mamm Biol 2011. [DOI: 10.1016/j.mambio.2010.05.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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Cutrera AP, Zenuto RR, Lacey EA. MHC variation, multiple simultaneous infections and physiological condition in the subterranean rodent Ctenomys talarum. INFECTION GENETICS AND EVOLUTION 2011; 11:1023-36. [PMID: 21497205 DOI: 10.1016/j.meegid.2011.03.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2010] [Revised: 02/28/2011] [Accepted: 03/24/2011] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Parasites and pathogens can play a significant role in shaping the genetic diversity of host populations, particularly at genes associated with host immune response. To explore this relationship in a natural population of vertebrates, we characterized Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) variation in the subterranean rodent Ctenomys talarum (the talas tuco-tuco) as a function of parasite load and ability to mount an adaptive immune response against a novel antigen. Specifically, we quantified genotypic diversity at the MHC class II DRB locus in relation to (1) natural variation in infection by multiple genera of parasites (potential agents of selection on MHC genes) and (2) antibody production in response to injection with sheep red blood cells (a measure of immunocompetence). Data were analyzed using co-inertia multivariate statistics, with epidemiological proxies for individual condition (hematocrit, leukocyte profile, body weight) and risk of parasite exposure (season of capture, sex). A significant excess of DRB heterozygotes was evident in the study population. Co-inertia analyses revealed significant associations between specific DRB alleles and both parasite load and intensity of humoral immune response against sheep red blood cells. The presence of specific DRB aminoacid sequences appeared to be more strongly associated with parasite load and response to a novel antigen than was heterozygosity at the DRB locus. These data suggest a role for parasite-driven balancing selection in maintaining MHC variation in natural populations of C. talarum. At the same time, these findings underscore the importance of using diverse parameters to study interactions among physiological conditions, immunocompetence, and MHC diversity in free-living animals that are confronted with multiple simultaneous immune challenges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Paula Cutrera
- Laboratorio de Ecofisiología, Departamento de Biología, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, CONICET, CC 1245, Mar del Plata, Argentina.
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Schad J, Dechmann DKN, Voigt CC, Sommer S. MHC class II DRB diversity, selection pattern and population structure in a neotropical bat species, Noctilio albiventris. Heredity (Edinb) 2011; 107:115-26. [PMID: 21245894 DOI: 10.1038/hdy.2010.173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Genes of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) have a crucial role in the immune response of vertebrates, alter the individual odour and are involved in shaping mating preferences. Pathogen-mediated selection, sexual selection and maternal-fetal interactions have been proposed as the main drivers of frequently observed high levels of polymorphism in functionally important parts of the MHC. Bats constitute the second largest mammalian order and have recently emerged as important vectors of infectious diseases. In addition, Chiroptera are interesting study subjects in evolutionary ecology in the context of olfactory communication, mate choice and associated fitness benefits. Thus, it is surprising that they belong to the least studied mammalian taxa in terms of their MHC diversity. In this study, we investigated the variability in the functionally important MHC class II gene DRB, evidence for selection and population structure in the group-living lesser bulldog bat, Noctilio albiventris, in Panama. We found a single expressed, polymorphic Noal-DRB gene. The substitution pattern of the nucleotide sequences of the 18 detected alleles provided evidence for positive selection acting above the evolutionary history of the species in shaping MHC diversity. Roosting colonies were not genetically differentiated but females showed lower levels of heterozygosity than males, which might be a sign that the sexes differ in the selection pressures acting on the MHC. This study provides the prerequisites for further investigations of the role of the individual MHC constitution in parasite resistance, olfactory communication and mate choice in N. albiventris and other bats.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Schad
- Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Berlin, Germany
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Xu TJ, Sun YN, Chen SL. Allelic variation, balancing selection and positive selected sites detected from MHC class Iα gene of olive flounder. Genetica 2010; 138:1251-9. [DOI: 10.1007/s10709-010-9524-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2010] [Accepted: 11/08/2010] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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CUTRERA ANAPAULA, LACEY EILEENA, MORA MATÍASS, LESSA ENRIQUEP. Effects of contrasting demographic histories on selection at major histocompatibility complex loci in two sympatric species of tuco-tucos (Rodentia: Ctenomyidae). Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2010. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1095-8312.2009.01358.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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Major histocompatibility complex variation and evolution at a single, expressed DQA locus in two genera of elephants. Immunogenetics 2010; 62:85-100. [DOI: 10.1007/s00251-009-0413-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2009] [Accepted: 11/12/2009] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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Lenz TL, Wells K, Pfeiffer M, Sommer S. Diverse MHC IIB allele repertoire increases parasite resistance and body condition in the Long-tailed giant rat (Leopoldamys sabanus). BMC Evol Biol 2009; 9:269. [PMID: 19930637 PMCID: PMC2788554 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2148-9-269] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2008] [Accepted: 11/23/2009] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Genes of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) code for key functions in the adaptive immune response of vertebrates and most of them show exceptionally high polymorphism. This polymorphism has been associated with the selection by diverse and changing parasite communities. We analysed MHC class IIB diversity, gastrointestinal parasite load and body condition in the wild ranging tropical rat Leopoldamys sabanus (Thomas, 1887) under natural selection conditions in a highly variable rainforest environment in Borneo to explore the mechanisms that maintain these high levels of genetic polymorphism. RESULTS Allelic diversity was determined via SSCP and sequencing, and parasite screening was done through non-invasive faecal egg count. The detected alleles showed expected high levels of polymorphism and balancing selection. Besides a clear advantage for more diverse MHC genotypes in terms of number of alleles, reflected in better body condition and resistance against helminth infection, our data also suggested a positive effect of MHC allele divergence within an individual on these parameters. CONCLUSION In accordance with the heterozygote advantage hypothesis, this study provides evidence for an advantage of more diverse MHC genotypes. More specifically, the potential negative relation between individual allele divergence and number of parasite species is in line with the 'divergent allele advantage' hypothesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tobias L Lenz
- Department of Animal Ecology and Animal Conservation, University of Hamburg, 20146 Hamburg, Germany
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, 24306 Plön, Germany
| | - Konstans Wells
- Institute of Experimental Ecology, University of Ulm, 89069 Ulm, Germany
| | - Martin Pfeiffer
- Institute of Experimental Ecology, University of Ulm, 89069 Ulm, Germany
| | - Simone Sommer
- Department of Animal Ecology and Animal Conservation, University of Hamburg, 20146 Hamburg, Germany
- Evolutionary Genetics, Leibniz-Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW), Postfach 601103, D-10252 Berlin, Germany
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Goüy de Bellocq J, Suchentrunk F, Baird SJE, Schaschl H. Evolutionary history of an MHC gene in two leporid species: characterisation of Mhc-DQA in the European brown hare and comparison with the European rabbit. Immunogenetics 2008; 61:131-44. [PMID: 19104797 DOI: 10.1007/s00251-008-0349-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2008] [Accepted: 12/02/2008] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
We surveyed the genetic diversity of the expressed major histocompatibility complex class II DQA locus in natural populations of European brown hares, Lepus europaeus, from Austria and Belgium (267 individuals in total). Based on cDNA sequences, we designed hare-specific primers to amplify the highly variable second exon of the DQA gene. Using cloning-sequencing methodology and capillary electrophoresis single-strand conformation polymorphism, we found ten alleles of the DQA exon 2 locus across these two European regions, of which eight are described for the first time. To search for signals of selection and recombination in the evolution of the DQA gene within the leporids, we augmented our sample with orthologous DQA alleles from the European rabbit, Oryctolagus cuniculus, in order to carry out a species level, species pairwise comparison. We found evidence of recombination in the history of the DQA sequences in leporids with some recombinant alleles bridging the species divide. In both species, selection on peptide binding site codons can be detected, though stronger for the rabbit. This result suggests that there may be a differential selection pressure in the deeper evolutionary history of these two species due to differences in several demographic and ecological traits likely subjecting them to differential selection by parasites. Finally, evolutionary relationships show a widespread and statistically significant intermingling of alleles from the two species. The many macroparasites shared between hares and rabbits may explain this pattern of trans-species polymorphism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joëlle Goüy de Bellocq
- Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
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Cutrera AP, Lacey EA. Trans-species polymorphism and evidence of selection on class II MHC loci in tuco-tucos (Rodentia: Ctenomyidae). Immunogenetics 2007; 59:937-48. [PMID: 18049818 DOI: 10.1007/s00251-007-0261-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2007] [Accepted: 10/26/2007] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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