title: Major histocompatibility complex class II DOA sequences from three Antarctic seal species verify stabilizing selection on the DO locus.
abstract: To provide additional support for the sequence conservation and hence the regulatory role of the MHC class II DOA locus, we obtained the nucleotide sequences of exon 2 and exon 3, along with the intervening intron, of the Ross seal, and sequences from the exon 2 region from the Weddell and leopard seals. These are the first reports of the sequences of this locus from a carnivore species. The results demonstrate strong conservation among mammals for the exon sequence and produce a gene genealogy that is consistent in topology with a species tree.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Portland State University, Portland, OR 97207, USA.
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Decker
authors.forename: B S
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Stewart
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Lehman
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000864:Antarctic Regions; D001483:Base Sequence; D017124:Conserved Sequence; D005091:Exons; D000949:Histocompatibility Antigens Class II / Q000235:genetics*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D046048:Seals, Earless / Q000235:genetics*; D013045:Species Specificity
chemical_list: D000949:Histocompatibility Antigens Class II