title: Major histocompatibility complex ancestral haplotypes in the chimpanzee: identification using C4 allotyping.
abstract: In humans, certain major histocompatibility complex (MHC) supratypes mark unique DNA segments which have been conserved from a common but remote ancestor. In order to determine whether these ancestral haplotypes (AHs) exist in nonhuman primates, C4 allotyping was undertaken on 71 chimpanzees. Four large pedigrees were available. There are at least seven codominant C4 alleles at two loci. Null alleles are also present. It was possible to assign class I, class II, and C4 alleles to 37 unrelated haplotypes; several supratypes occurred two or more times. These putative AHs included some with alleles which resemble those carried by certain human AHs. These data provide evidence that similar MHC AHs are present in the chimpanzee and human. The present approach provides a basis for comparative studies examining the evolutionary and functional significance of the MHC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Immunology, Royal Perth Hospital, Western Australia.
authors.forename: F T
authors.initials: FT
authors.lastname: Christiansen
authors.forename: R E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Bontrop
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Giphart
authors.forename: P U
authors.initials: PU
authors.lastname: Cameron
authors.forename: W J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Townend
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jonker
authors.forename: R L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Dawkins
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003181:Complement C4 / Q000235:genetics*; D005787:Gene Frequency; D006239:Haplotypes; D006649:Histocompatibility Antigens / Q000235:genetics*; D016130:Immunophenotyping; D002679:Pan troglodytes / Q000276:immunology*; D010375:Pedigree; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic
chemical_list: D003181:Complement C4; D006649:Histocompatibility Antigens