Cloning and analysis of a new rat major histocompatibility complex class II gene, RT1.DOa

Major histocompatibility complex class II DOA sequences from three Antarctic seal species verify stabilizing selection on the DO locus

To provide additional support for the sequence conservation and hence the regulatory role of the MHC class II DOA locus, we obtained the nucleotide sequences of exon 2 and exon 3, along with the intervening intron, of the Ross seal, and sequences from the exon 2 region from the Weddell and leopard seals. These are the first reports of the sequences of this locus from a carnivore species. The results demonstrate strong conservation among mammals for the exon sequence and produce a gene genealogy that is consistent in topology with a species tree.

Cattle MHC genes DOA and DOB: sequence polymorphisms and assignments to the class IIb region

In a study of the genetic polymorphism of the second exons of the cattle DOA and DOB genes, two and four allelic variants were detected, respectively. In the predicted amino acid sequence, the DOA polymorphism corresponded to variation at the respective residue position, whereas the nucleotide substitutions in the DOB gene were non-informative. PCR-RFLP assays were developed for DOA and DOB typing, and both loci were genetically mapped to the BoLA class IIb region by linkage analysis in the International Bovine Reference Panel. The single nucleotide polymorphisms detected in the BoLA-DOA and -DOB genes enable these loci to be used as markers in genetic trait analyses.

Physical mapping of the Ring1, Ring2, Ke6, Ke4, Rxrb, Col11a2, and RT1.Hb genes in the rat major histocompatibility complex

A contig of cosmids containing the Ring1, Ring2, Ke6, Ke4, Rxrb, and Col11a2 genes in the rat major histocompatibility complex has been established and aligned to the class II cluster (RT1.Hb). The relative order and the transcriptional orientations of these rat genes are the same as in their human and mouse homologues. The distances are also similar, except for the Col11a2 - class II interval, which is clearly shorter in rat and mouse compared with human. The previously defined Ke5 probe could be shown to map into the large Col11a2 gene.