title: Genomics and diversity of the common marmoset monkey NK complex.
abstract: The common marmoset monkey (Callithrix jacchus) is a New World primate that is increasingly used in biomedical research as a model organism. Due to the occurrence of natural bone marrow chimerism, it represents a particularly useful primate model in immunological research. In this study, we describe the genomic organization of the CD94, NKG2, and LY49L genes in the NK complex (NKC) of the common marmoset based on complete sequencing of a bacterial artificial chromosome clonal contig. This region of the marmoset NKC is 1.5 times smaller than its human counterpart, but the genes are colinear and orthologous. One exception is the activating NKG2CE gene, which is probably an ancestral form of the NKG2C- and NKG2E-activating receptor genes of humans and great apes. The two completely sequenced marmoset bacterial artificial chromosome clones are derived from distinct haplotypes, which differ by 200 sites in the overlapping sequence. Analyses of NKC genes in nine additional marmoset individuals revealed a moderate degree of polymorphism of the CD94, NKG2A, NKG2CE, and NKG2D genes. Furthermore, expression analyses identified several alternatively spliced transcripts, particularly of the CD94 gene. Several products of alternative splicing of NKC genes are highly conserved among primates. Alternative transcriptional start sites were found, but these probably do not lead to a change of the translational start site or result in longer or shorter cytoplasmic regions of these type II membrane receptors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Primate Genetics, German Primate Center, Göttingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Averdam
authors.forename: Heiner
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kuhl
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sontag
authors.forename: Tamara
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Becker
authors.forename: Austin L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Hughes
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Reinhardt
authors.forename: Lutz
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Walter
mesh_terms: D000483:Alleles; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000950:Antigens, Ly / Q000235:genetics; D002144:Callithrix / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology*; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000276:immunology; D023281:Genomics / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D008253:Macaca mulatta; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D055654:NK Cell Lectin-Like Receptor Subfamily C; D051920:NK Cell Lectin-Like Receptor Subfamily D / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D055655:NK Cell Lectin-Like Receptor Subfamily K; D002679:Pan troglodytes; D010802:Phylogeny; D011148:Pongo pygmaeus; D011971:Receptors, Immunologic / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D055607:Receptors, Natural Killer Cell
chemical_list: D000950:Antigens, Ly; C527054:KLRC1 protein, human; C527059:KLRC2 protein, human; C527062:KLRC3 protein, human; C527085:KLRK1 protein, human; C527057:Klrc1 protein, mouse; C527060:Klrc2 protein, mouse; C527063:Klrc3 protein, mouse; C527086:Klrk1 protein, mouse; C120113:Ly-49L antigen; D055654:NK Cell Lectin-Like Receptor Subfamily C; D051920:NK Cell Lectin-Like Receptor Subfamily D; D055655:NK Cell Lectin-Like Receptor Subfamily K; D011971:Receptors, Immunologic; D055607:Receptors, Natural Killer Cell