title: Sequence analysis of the MHC class II DPB1 gene in chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes).
abstract: The diversity of the MHC class II region in non-human primates is a focus of biomedical research because this region plays a crucial role in the recognition of antigens in the immune system. In particular, the chimpanzee [Pan troglodytes (Patr)], which belongs to the superfamily Hominoidea, has been used as a human model for the study of diseases such as human hepatitis C virus (HCV), human hepatitis B virus (HBV) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections, to which only humans and chimpanzees are susceptible. In the present study, polymorphisms of the MHC-DPB1 gene (Patr-DPB1) in a chimpanzee colony in Japan were examined using a stepwise polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique. In order to design a suitable primer pair which would amplify exon 2 of the Patr-DPB1 gene, a fragment of approximately 8 kb from exon 1 to exon 3 was amplified from chimpanzee genomic DNA. After designing a 500-bp primer pair at the 3' region of intron 1 and the 5' region of intron 2, analysis of DPB1 exon 2 alleles of each chimpanzee was carried out. Twenty-two chimpanzees were used in our study, and we identified seven alleles by sequence analysis on the Patr-DPB1 gene, including one new allele. The obtained nucleotide sequence patterns suggest that Patr-DPB1 alleles emerge by genetic variations such as the exchange of sequence motifs and the accumulation of point mutations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Science, Graduate School of Agriculture and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Yayoi, Tokyo, Japan. missbakej@yahoo.co.jp
authors.forename: E-J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Bak
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ishii
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Omatsu
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kyuwa
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Hayasaka
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yoshikawa
mesh_terms: D000483:Alleles; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D005838:Genotype; D006682:HLA-DP Antigens / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D059868:HLA-DP beta-Chains; D006650:Histocompatibility Testing; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D002679:Pan troglodytes / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid
chemical_list: D006682:HLA-DP Antigens; D059868:HLA-DP beta-Chains; C071170:HLA-DPB1 antigen