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Home/Equine Research Bank/Genes (Basel)/Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) Diversity of the Rein...
Genes2022; 13(5); 928; doi: 10.3390/genes13050928

Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) Diversity of the Reintroduction Populations of Endangered Przewalski’s Horse.

Abstract: Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) genes are the most polymorphic in vertebrates and the high variability in many MHC genes is thought to play a crucial role in pathogen recognition. The MHC class II locus DQA polymorphism was analyzed in the endangered Przewalski's horse, , a species that has been extinct in the wild and all the current living individuals descend from 12 founders. We used the polymerase chain reaction-single strand conformation polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) to detect the polymorphism within the MHC DQA in 31 Przewalski's horses from two reintroduced populations. Consequently, only seven alleles were identified, with only four presenting in each population. In comparison with other mammals, the Przewalski's horse demonstrated less MHC variation. The nucleotide genetic distance of the seven ELA-DQA alleles was between 0.012 and 0.161. The Poisson corrected amino acid genetic distance of the founded alleles was 0.01-0.334. The allele and genotype frequencies of both reintroduced populations of Przewalski's horse deviated from the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. Specific MHC DQA alleles may have been lost during the extreme bottleneck event that this species underwent throughout history. We suggest the necessity to detect the genetic background of individuals prior to performing the reintroduction project.
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Publication Date: 2022-05-23 PubMed ID: 35627313PubMed Central: PMC9140943DOI: 10.3390/genes13050928Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

The research article is a study about the genetic diversity of an endangered species, the Przewalski’s horse, paying close attention to the Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) genes essential for immunity.

Research Methodology

  • The researchers analyzed the MHC class II locus DQA polymorphism of the endangered Przewalski’s horse. This species has been extinct in the wild, and all current living members are descendants from 12 originals.
  • They employed a technique known as polymerase chain reaction-single strand conformation polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) to detect differences within the MHC DQA in 31 Przewalski’s horses from two reintroduced populations.

Research Findings

  • From their analysis, only seven alleles (kinds of genes) were found, with each population hosting only four.
  • In comparison, other mammal species exhibit a larger variety in their MHC genes. This suggests that the Przewalski’s horse has less MHC variation.
  • The DNA genetic distance of the located seven ELA-DQA alleles ranged from 0.012 to 0.161. This indicates the degree of genetic variation present.
  • The amino acid genetic distance of the founded alleles, after correction using the Poisson method, ranged from 0.01 to 0.334.
  • The allele and genotype frequencies for these genes deviated from the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. This equilibrium is a principle suggesting that in a stable population, the allele and genotype frequencies should remain constant from generation to generation unless influenced by specific genetic factors.

Research Implication

  • The research points out that specific MHC DQA alleles might have been lost during the drastic reduction in population (also known as a bottleneck event) that the Przewalski’s horse experienced throughout history.
  • This underscores the need to conduct a genetic background check of individuals before reintroducing them into the wild.
  • Such information will be crucial to insure the success of reintroduction projects by ensuring a broader base of genetic diversity and, consequently, greater resilience of the reintroduced population.

Cite This Article

APA
Tang Y, Liu G, Zhao S, Li K, Zhang D, Liu S, Hu D. (2022). Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) Diversity of the Reintroduction Populations of Endangered Przewalski’s Horse. Genes (Basel), 13(5), 928. https://doi.org/10.3390/genes13050928

Publication

Genes
ISSN: 2073-4425
NlmUniqueID: 101551097
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Volume: 13
Issue: 5
PII: 928

Researcher Affiliations

Tang, Yongqing
  • College of Ecology and Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100085, China.
Liu, Gang
  • Institute of Wetland Research, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing Key Laboratory of Wetland Services and Restoration, Beijing 100091, China.
Zhao, Shasha
  • College of Ecology and Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100085, China.
Li, Kai
  • College of Ecology and Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100085, China.
Zhang, Dong
  • College of Ecology and Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100085, China.
Liu, Shuqiang
  • College of Ecology and Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100085, China.
Hu, Defu
  • College of Ecology and Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100085, China.

MeSH Terms

  • Alleles
  • Animals
  • Histocompatibility Antigens Class II / genetics
  • Horses / genetics
  • Major Histocompatibility Complex / genetics
  • Mammals / genetics
  • Polymorphism, Single-Stranded Conformational

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Citations

This article has been cited 2 times.
  1. Vasoya D, Tzelos T, Benedictus L, Karagianni AE, Pirie S, Marr C, Oddsdu00f3ttir C, Fintl C, Connelley T. High-Resolution Genotyping of Expressed Equine MHC Reveals a Highly Complex MHC Structure.. Genes (Basel) 2023 Jul 10;14(7).
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  2. Piras FM, Cappelletti E, Abdelgadir WA, Salamon G, Vignati S, Santagostino M, Sola L, Nergadze SG, Giulotto E. A Satellite-Free Centromere in Equus przewalskii Chromosome 10.. Int J Mol Sci 2023 Feb 18;24(4).
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