title: Characterization and phylogenetic relationship of prosimian MHC class I genes.
abstract: MHC class I cDNA sequences from the most divergent primate group of extant primates compared to human, the suborder Strepsirrhini (prosimians), are described. The sequences are derived from the gray mouse lemur (Microcebus murinus) and the ring-tailed lemur (Lemur catta), which are members of the malagasy Lemuriformes, as well as from the pygmy slow loris (Nycticebus pygmaeus), a prosimian from East Asia. The M. murinus sequences have been analyzed in detail. Analysis of the expression level, G/C content, and synonymous vs. nonsynonymous substitution rates in the peptide-binding region codons suggests that these cDNA clones represent classical class I (class Ia) genes. According to Southern blot analysis, the genome of the gray mouse lemur might contain about 10 class I genes. In gene tree analysis, the strepsirrhine class Ia genes described here cluster significantly separately from the known class I genes of Catarrhini (humans, apes, Old World monkeys) and Platyrrhini (New World monkeys) species, suggesting that the class I loci of Simiiformes arose by gene duplications which occurred after the divergence of prosimians.
authors.affiliation: Abteilung Immungenetik, Georg-August-Universität, Göttingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Perris
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Flügge
authors.forename: Elke
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Zimmermann
authors.forename: Austin L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Hughes
authors.forename: Eberhard
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Günther
authors.forename: Lutz
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Walter
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D015139:Blotting, Southern; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D017931:DNA Primers; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D005805:Genes, MHC Class I; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D011323:Primates / Q000235:genetics*; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers