Long-term balancing selection at the blood group-related gene B4galnt2 in the genus Mus (Rodentia; Muridae) |
| |
Authors: | Linnenbrink Miriam Johnsen Jill M Montero Inka Brzezinski Christine R Harr Bettina Baines John F |
| |
Affiliation: | Institute for Experimental Medicine, Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel, Kiel, Germany. |
| |
Abstract: | Recent surveys of the human genome have highlighted the significance of balancing selection in relation to understanding the evolutionary origins of disease-associated variation. Cis-regulatory variation at the blood group-related glycosyltransferase B4galnt2 is associated with a phenotype in mice that closely resembles a common human bleeding disorder, von Willebrand disease. In this study, we have performed a survey of the 5' flanking region of the B4galnt2 gene in several Mus musculus subspecies and Mus spretus. Our results reveal a clear pattern of trans-species polymorphism and indicate that allele classes conferring alternative tissue-specific expression patterns have been maintained for >2.8 My in the genus Mus. Furthermore, analysis of B4galnt2 expression patterns revealed the presence of an additional functional class of alleles, supporting a role for gastrointestinal phenotypes in the long-term maintenance of expression variation at this gene. |
| |
Keywords: | |
本文献已被 PubMed 等数据库收录! |
|