title: MHC diversity, malaria and lifetime reproductive success in collared flycatchers.
abstract: Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) genes encode proteins involved in the recognition of parasite-derived antigens. Their extreme polymorphism is presumed to be driven by co-evolution with parasites. Host-parasite co-evolution was also hypothesized to optimize within-individual MHC diversity at the intermediate level. Here, we use unique data on lifetime reproductive success (LRS) of female collared flycatchers to test whether LRS is associated with within-individual MHC class II diversity. We also examined the association between MHC and infection with avian malaria. Using 454 sequencing, we found that individual flycatchers carry between 3 and 23 functional MHC class II B alleles. Predictions of the optimality hypothesis were not confirmed by our data as the prevalence of blood parasites decreased with functional MHC diversity. Furthermore, we did not find evidence for an association between MHC diversity and LRS.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Environmental Sciences, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 7, 30-387 Krakow, Poland. jacek.radwan@uj.edu.pl
authors.forename: Jacek
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Radwan
authors.forename: Magdalena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zagalska-Neubauer
authors.forename: Mariusz
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cichoń
authors.forename: Joanna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sendecka
authors.forename: Katarzyna
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kulma
authors.forename: Lars
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gustafsson
authors.forename: Wiesław
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Babik
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005075:Biological Evolution; D005260:Female; D014644:Genetic Variation; D060005:Genotyping Techniques; D006790:Host-Parasite Interactions / Q000235:genetics; D008285:Major Histocompatibility Complex / Q000235:genetics*; D008289:Malaria, Avian / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D008957:Models, Genetic; D012098:Reproduction / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D020308:Songbirds / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology / Q000502:physiology