title: The MHC class I genes of zebrafish.
abstract: Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules play a central role in the immune response and in the recognition of non-self. Found in all jawed vertebrate species, including zebrafish and other teleosts, MHC genes are considered the most polymorphic of all genes. In this review we focus on the multi-faceted diversity of zebrafish MHC class I genes, which are classified into three sequence lineages: U, Z, and L. We examine the polygenic, polymorphic, and haplotypic diversity of the zebrafish MHC class I genes, discussing known and postulated functional differences between the different class I lineages. In addition, we provide the first comprehensive nomenclature for the L lineage genes in zebrafish, encompassing at least 15 genes, and characterize their sequence properties. Finally, we discuss how recent findings have shed new light on the remarkably diverse MHC loci of this species.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biomedical Sciences, North Carolina State University, 1060 William Moore Drive, Raleigh, NC 27607, USA; The Joint Biomedical Engineering Graduate Program, University of North Carolina-North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA.
authors.forename: Hayley
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Dirscherl
authors.affiliation: Section of Hematology-Oncology and Stem Cell Transplant, Department of Pediatrics, The University of Chicago, KCBD 5120, Chicago, IL 60637, USA.
authors.forename: Sean C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: McConnell
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biomedical Sciences, North Carolina State University, 1060 William Moore Drive, Raleigh, NC 27607, USA; Center for Comparative Medicine and Translational Research, North Carolina State University, 1060 William Moore Drive, Raleigh, NC 27607, USA. Electronic address: jayoder@ncsu.edu.
authors.forename: Jeffrey A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Yoder
authors.affiliation: Section of Hematology-Oncology and Stem Cell Transplant, Department of Pediatrics, The University of Chicago, KCBD 5120, Chicago, IL 60637, USA. Electronic address: jdejong@peds.bsd.uchicago.edu.
authors.forename: Jill L O
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: de Jong
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005805:Genes, MHC Class I; D015395:Histocompatibility Antigens Class I / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D008285:Major Histocompatibility Complex; D010802:Phylogeny; D015027:Zebrafish / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology*; D029961:Zebrafish Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D015395:Histocompatibility Antigens Class I; D029961:Zebrafish Proteins
keywords: Haplotype; Histocompatibility; Immunity; MHC; Multigene families; Polymorphism