Characterization of major histocompatibility complex class I and class II genes from the Tasmanian devil (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Sarcophilus harrisii</Emphasis>)

The Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii) is currently threatened by an emerging wildlife disease, devil facial tumour disease. The disease is decreasing devil numbers dramatically and may lead to the extinction of the species. At present, nothing is known about the immune genes or basic immunology of the devil. In this study, we report the construction of the first genetic library for the Tasmanian devil, a spleen cDNA library, and the isolation of full-length MHC Class I and Class II genes. We describe six unique Class II beta chain sequences from at least three loci, which belong to the marsupial Class II DA gene family. We have isolated 13 unique devil Class I sequences, representing at least seven Class I loci, two of which are most likely non-classical genes. The MHC Class I sequences from the devil have little heterogeneity, indicating recent divergence. The MHC genes described here are most likely involved in antigen presentation and are an important first step for studying MHC diversity and immune response in the devil.     

凹耳蛙MHCII类B基因第二外显子多态性分析

两栖类正经历全球范围内的种群衰退,很多两栖动物集群灭绝事件与环境病原体(如壶菌(Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis)的侵扰有关。MHC基因的表达产物在有颌脊椎动物免疫应答过程中起关键作用,其多态性通常与动物对疾病的抗性或易感性密切相关,因而被认为是研究动物适应性进化的最佳候选基因之一。本文对中国特有的无尾两栖动物凹耳蛙(Odorrana tormota)MHC II类B基因多态性进行初步研究。首先,利用1对通用引物扩增出凹耳蛙MHC II类B基因exon2长约180bp的DNA片段。在此基础上,利用ligation-mediated PCR进一步获取侧翼未知序列,序列拼接后长2,030bp,包含exon2以及intron1和intron2的部分序列。基于上述序列设计出凹耳蛙B基因exon2特异性引物(IIQ1BU/IIQ1BD),对该物种黄山种群32个样品进行PCR扩增和克隆测序,共获得34个不同的等位基因,等位基因序列核苷酸和氨基酸变异位点的比例分别为16.17%(33/204)和26.87%(18/67),大多数氨基酸变异位点位于推测的抗原结合位点(antigen binding sites,ABS)。每个样品包含2-5个等位基因,结合等位基因序列特征以及cDNA表达分析结果,推测凹耳蛙至少拥有3个可表达的B基因座位。与文献报道的蛙科其他物种比较后发现,尽管凹耳蛙目前的分布区非常狭窄,但其MHC II类B基因多态性明显高于蛙科其他动物。等位基因碱基替换模式提示凹耳蛙MHC II类B基因曾经历过强烈的正选择作用,ABS区的dN值显著大于dS(P<0.05),PAML软件包CODEML程序中不同模型的似然比检测(likelihood rate test)结果同样支持上述推论,贝叶斯经验贝叶斯路径(Bayesian Em-pirical Bayes)共检测出5个显著受正选择作用的氨基酸位点。贝叶斯系统树的拓扑结构显示,无尾两栖类不同科的等位基因分别形成单系群,但蛙科不同属的等位基因未能形成单系群,蛙属绿池蛙(Rana clamitans)的1个等位基因与臭蛙属凹耳蛙的部分等位基因享有共同的谱系关系,提示蛙科不同属间的B基因存在跨种多态性。     

MHC-dependent mate choice in humans: why genomic patterns from the HapMap European American dataset support the hypothesis

The role of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) in mate choice in humans is controversial. Nowadays, the availability of genetic variation data at genomic scales allows for a careful assessment of this question. In 2008, Chaix et al. reported evidence for MHC-dependent mate choice among European American spouses from the HapMap 2 dataset. Recently, Derti et al. suggested that this observation was not robust. Furthermore, when Derti et al. applied similar analyses to the HapMap 3 European American samples, they did not see a significant effect. Although some of the points raised by Derti et al. are relevant, we disagree with the reported absence of evidence for MHC-dependent mate choice within the HapMap samples. More precisely, we show here that the MHC dissimilarity among HapMap 3 European American spouses is still extreme in comparison to the rest of the genome, even after multiple testing correction. This finding supports the hypothesis of MHC-dependent mate choice in some human populations.     

Role of metalloproteases in vaccinia virus epitope processing for transporter associated with antigen processing (TAP)-independent human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-B7 class I antigen presentation

The transporter associated with antigen processing (TAP) translocates the viral proteolytic peptides generated by the proteasome and other proteases in the cytosol to the endoplasmic reticulum lumen. There, they complex with nascent human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I molecules, which are subsequently recognized by the CD8(+) lymphocyte cellular response. However, individuals with nonfunctional TAP complexes or tumor or infected cells with blocked TAP molecules are able to present HLA class I ligands generated by TAP-independent processing pathways. Herein, using a TAP-independent polyclonal vaccinia virus-polyspecific CD8(+) T cell line, two conserved vaccinia-derived TAP-independent HLA-B*0702 epitopes were identified. The presentation of these epitopes in normal cells occurs via complex antigen-processing pathways involving the proteasome and/or different subsets of metalloproteinases (amino-, carboxy-, and endoproteases), which were blocked in infected cells with specific chemical inhibitors. These data support the hypothesis that the abundant cellular proteolytic systems contribute to the supply of peptides recognized by the antiviral cellular immune response, thereby facilitating immunosurveillance. These data may explain why TAP-deficient individuals live normal life spans without any increased susceptibility to viral infections.     

Structural Requirements for Recognition of Major Histocompatibility Complex Class II by Membrane-associated RING-CH (MARCH) Protein E3 Ligases

MARCH E3 ligases play a key role in controlling MHC class II surface expression by regulated ubiquitination of a lysine residue in the β-chain. Little is known concerning how these enzymes target their specific substrates. Here we show that recognition of HLA-DR by MARCH proteins is complex. Several features associated with the transmembrane domain and bordering regions influence the overall efficiency of receptor internalization. A cluster of residues at the interface of the lipid bilayer and the cytosol plays the most important role in MARCH8 recognition of HLA-DRβ. Variation in this sequence also determines specificity of MARCH9 for HLA-DQ. Residues located in helical face four of HLA-DRβ together with a charged residue at the boundary with the stalk region also contribute significantly to recognition. Truncation analysis suggested that a dileucine-like motif in the DRβ cytoplasmic tail influences the efficiency of co-localization of HLA-DR with MARCH8. The DRβ-encoded acceptor lysine functioned optimally when placed in its natural location relative to the bilayer. In the DRα/DRβ dimer most other amino acids in the cytoplasmic tail could be substituted for alanine with minimal influence on function. Our data support a model whereby multiple features of HLA-DR are involved in substrate recognition by MARCH8. The single most important region is located at the interface between the transmembrane domain and the cytosol. Variation in sequence in this location between different class II isotypes controls efficiency of recognition by different MARCH E3 ligases.     

Major histocompatibility complex class II compatibility,but not class I,predicts mate choice in a bird with highly developed olfaction

Mate choice for major histocompatibility complex (MHC) compatibility has been found in several taxa, although rarely in birds. MHC is a crucial component in adaptive immunity and by choosing an MHC-dissimilar partner, heterozygosity and potentially broad pathogen resistance is maximized in the offspring. The MHC genotype influences odour cues and preferences in mammals and fish and hence olfactory-based mate choice can occur. We tested whether blue petrels, Halobaena caerulea, choose partners based on MHC compatibility. This bird is long-lived, monogamous and can discriminate between individual odours using olfaction, which makes it exceptionally well suited for this analysis. We screened MHC class I and II B alleles in blue petrels using 454-pyrosequencing and quantified the phylogenetic, functional and allele-sharing similarity between individuals. Partners were functionally more dissimilar at the MHC class II B loci than expected from random mating (p = 0.033), whereas there was no such difference at the MHC class I loci. Phylogenetic and non-sequence-based MHC allele-sharing measures detected no MHC dissimilarity between partners for either MHC class I or II B. Our study provides evidence of mate choice for MHC compatibility in a bird with a high dependency on odour cues, suggesting that MHC odour-mediated mate choice occurs in birds.     

Quantitative immunoproteomics analysis reveals novel MHC class I presented peptides in cisplatin-resistant ovarian cancer cells

Platinum-based chemotherapy is widely used to treat various cancers including ovarian cancer. However, the mortality rate for patients with ovarian cancer is extremely high, largely due to chemo-resistant progression in patients who respond initially to platinum based chemotherapy. Immunotherapy strategies, including antigen specific vaccines, are being tested to treat drug resistant ovarian cancer with variable results. The identification of drug resistant specific tumor antigens would potentially provide significant improvement in effectiveness when combined with current and emerging therapies. In this study, using an immunoproteomics method based on iTRAQ technology and an LC-MS platform, we identified 952 MHC class I presented peptides. Quantitative analysis of the iTRAQ labeled MHC peptides revealed that cisplatin-resistant ovarian cancer cells display increased levels of MHC peptides derived from proteins that are implicated in many important cancer pathways. In addition, selected differentially presented epitope specific CTL recognize cisplatin-resistant ovarian cancer cells significantly better than the sensitive cells. These over-presented, drug resistance specific MHC class I associated peptide antigens could be potential targets for the development of immunotherapeutic strategies for the treatment of ovarian cancer including the drug resistant phenotype.     

Kidney proteome responses in the teleost fish Paralichthys olivaceus indicate a putative immune response against Streptococcus parauberis

The proteomic response to bacterial infection in a teleost fish (Paralichthys olivaceus) infected with Streptococcus parauberis was analyzed using label-free protein quantitation coupled with LC-MS(E) tandem mass spectrometry. A total of 82 proteins from whole kidney, a major lymphoid organ in this fish, were found to be differentially expressed between healthy and diseased fish analyzed 6, 24, 72 and 120 h post-infection. Among the differentially expressed proteins, those involved in mediating immune responses (e.g., heat shock proteins, cathepsins, goose-type lysozyme and complement components) were most significantly up-regulated by infection. In addition, cell division cycle 48 (CDC48) and calreticulin, which are associated with cellular recovery and glycoprotein synthesis, were up-regulated in the universal protein group, whereas the other proteins in that group were down-regulated. There was continuous activation of expression of immune-associated proteins during infection, but there was also loss of expression of proteins not involved in immune function. We expect that our findings regarding immune response at the protein level would offer new insight into the systemic response to bacterial infection of a major immune organ in teleost fish.