title: Genomic analysis of MIC genes in rhesus macaques.
abstract: MIC genes map to the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) and are distantly related to MHC class I genes. Recently, MICA/MICB-like genes have been described in nonhuman primates. In Macaca mulatta, three MICA/B-like genes could be identified: Mamu-MIC1, Mamu-MIC2, and Mamu-MIC3. We show here the isolation and characterization of rhesus macaque cosmid clones which carry the Mamu-MIC2 and Mamu-MIC3 genes. Neither the MIC2- and MIC3-coding sequences nor respective flanking sequences can be aligned unambiguously to either the human HLA-MICA or -MICB subregions, although MIC2 was found at a similar distance to the BAT1 gene as known for MICB in human. Thus, the characteristics allowing for a classification of primate MIC genes as being of the MICA or MICB types appear to have evolved after the separation of humans and rhesus monkeys from a common ancestor. Furthermore, also Mamu-MICD-containing cosmids could be isolated. In contrast to Mamu-MIC2 and Mamu-MIC3, the Mamu-MICD gene and its flanking sequences are highly conserved and orthologous to the human MICD subregion.
authors.affiliation: Abteilung Immungenetik, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Heinrich-Düker-Weg 12, D-37073 Göttingen, Germany.
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Seo
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Walter
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Günther
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D002877:Chromosomes, Human; D003360:Cosmids / Q000235:genetics; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D005805:Genes, MHC Class I; D005822:Genetic Vectors; D016678:Genome; D015698:Genomic Library; D006680:HLA Antigens / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D008253:Macaca mulatta / Q000235:genetics*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
chemical_list: D006680:HLA Antigens