title: Identification and analysis of MHC class II DRB1 (Patr-DRB1) alleles in chimpanzees.
abstract: The MHC-DRB1 gene is known to display the most extensive allelic polymorphisms among MHC class II genes. We attempted the selective identification of chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) DRB1 (Patr-DRB1) alleles using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique in three steps: first, we performed Patr-DRB1*02 lineage-specific 8-kb PCR for *02 lineage detection in each chimpanzee; second, we performed 620-bp PCR for amplification of full-length exon 2; and finally, we carried out an insert check using the pattern of microsatellite repeat length variability. In the genomic DNA of 23 chimpanzees, nine Patr-DRB1 alleles containing two new alleles were detected. Our approach provides a relatively effective method of identifying Patr-DRB1 alleles in individual chimpanzees and should also contribute to our understanding of the features of MHC molecules in non-human primates.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Science, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 113-8657, 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: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tetsuya
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; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D005802:Genes, MHC Class II; D014644:Genetic Variation; D006684:HLA-DR Antigens / Q000235:genetics*; D059811:HLA-DRB1 Chains; D018895:Microsatellite Repeats; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D002679:Pan troglodytes / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid; D013045:Species Specificity
chemical_list: D006684:HLA-DR Antigens; D059811:HLA-DRB1 Chains