1. Characterisation of Mhc class I and class II DRB polymorphism in red-bellied tamarins (Saguinus labiatus)
- Author
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Edward T. Mee, Nicola J. Rose, and James Greenhow
- Subjects
Hepatitis, Viral, Human ,Immunology ,Genes, MHC Class II ,Genes, MHC Class I ,Biology ,Major histocompatibility complex ,Virus ,GB virus B ,Gene Frequency ,MHC class I ,Genetics ,Animals ,Humans ,Allele ,Allele frequency ,New World monkey ,Immunity, Cellular ,Polymorphism, Genetic ,Tamarin ,Saguinus labiatus ,Flaviviridae Infections ,biology.organism_classification ,Disease Models, Animal ,Hepatitis, Viral, Animal ,biology.protein ,Saguinus - Abstract
The infection of red-bellied tamarins (Saguinus labiatus) with GB virus B (GBV-B) is an important surrogate model of hepatitis C virus infection in man. To fully exploit the value of this model, we have characterised MHC class I G and class II DRB alleles in eight tamarins representing a cross-section of a UK breeding colony. The results indicated a high degree of classes I and II DRB allele sharing. Each animal transcribed three to four putative surface-expressed class I alleles and two to four class II DRB alleles. Most animals also transcribed at least one class I allele predicted to result in a C-terminal truncated protein. These results represent the first description of MHC polymorphism in this species and provide a foundation for characterisation of MHC diversity in breeding populations of red-bellied tamarins. The data will facilitate the identification of associations between MHC polymorphism and control of viral infections, and detailed dissection of cellular immune responses against GBV-B.
- Published
- 2011