Varijabilnost lokusa MHC- DRB u običnog jelena (Cervus elaphus) iz Vojvodine, Srbija

Abstract

Genes of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) are widely recognized as important loci for studying adaptive genetic diversity in vertebrates. These genes code for molecules, which represent pathogen-derived antigens to the T-lymphocytes, thus initiating the appropriate immune reaction. The high degree of MHC variability is proposedly maintained by the pathogen-mediated selection. Red deer (Cervus elaphus) belongs to the order Cetartiodactyla, and is one of the largest representatives of the family Cervidae. The recent spread of the allochthonous fluke Fascioloides magna poses a growing threat to the European deer populations. The aim of this study was to genotype MHC-DRB locus of 81 red deer individuals from the area of Vojvodina, with established F. magna infection, in order to explore the degree of MHC variability and gain an insight into the immunogenetic competence of this population. For this, we used Illumina next generation sequencing and AmpliSAT web tool for subsequent data analysis. We detected high levels of variability, with 32 alleles in total, 10 of which were novel. Number of alleles per individual was 1- 6 (mean = 4.27), suggesting the existence of at least three DRB loci. The number of variable sites was 90 (36.1%) and nucleotide diversity per site was 0.11. The most common allele was Ceel- DRB*HR04, present in 49.6% of individuals, possibly indicating its protective role against F. magna.