title: Comparative analysis of a putative tuberculosis-susceptibility gene, MC3R, and pseudogene sequences in cattle, African buffalo, hyena, rhinoceros and other African bovids and ruminants.
abstract: Studies in humans have suggested the possible involvement of melanocortin-3-receptor (MC3R) and other components of the central melanocortin system in host defense against mycobacteria. We report a genomic DNA nucleotide sequence highly homologous to human MC3R in several bovids and non-bovid African wildlife species. Nucleotide sequence analysis indicates that the orthologous genes of cattle and buffalo are highly homologous (89.4 and 90%, respectively) to the human MC3R gene. Sequence results also identified a typical non-functional, duplicated pseudogene, MC3RP, in 7 species from the family Bovidae. No pseudogene was found in animals outside Bovidae. The presence of the pseudogene in tuberculosis-susceptible species could have possible immunomodulatory effects on susceptibility to bovine tuberculosis infection, as well as a considerable influence on energy metabolism and food conversion efficiency.
authors.affiliation: DST/NRF Centre of Excellence for Biomedical TB Research/MRC Centre for Molecular and Cellular Biology/ Division of Molecular Biology and Human Genetics, Faculty of Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Tygerberg, South Africa. annelle_m@sun.ac.za
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Müller
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Möller
authors.forename: L A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Adams
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Warren
authors.forename: E G
authors.initials: EG
authors.lastname: Hoal
authors.forename: P D
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: van Helden
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002020:Buffaloes / Q000235:genetics; D002417:Cattle / Q000235:genetics; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D045968:Hyaenidae / Q000235:genetics; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010527:Perissodactyla / Q000235:genetics; D010802:Phylogeny; D011544:Pseudogenes / Q000235:genetics*; D044104:Receptor, Melanocortin, Type 3 / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*; D012418:Ruminants / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D013045:Species Specificity; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000235:genetics*; D014380:Tuberculosis, Bovine / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D044104:Receptor, Melanocortin, Type 3