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The Chicken Major Histocompatibility Complex and Disease Animal Science Publications Animal Science 1998 The chicken major histocompatibility complex and disease Susan J. Lamont Iowa State University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/ans_pubs Part of the Agriculture Commons, Animal Sciences Commons, Genetics Commons, and the Immunology and Infectious Disease Commons The complete bibliographic information for this item can be found at https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/ ans_pubs/855. For information on how to cite this item, please visit http://lib.dr.iastate.edu/ howtocite.html. This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Animal Science at Iowa State University Digital Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Animal Science Publications by an authorized administrator of Iowa State University Digital Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. The chicken major histocompatibility complex and disease Abstract The chicken major histocompatibility complex (MHC), or B complex, consists of several clusters of highly polymorphic genes, some of which are associated with disease resistance. The class I and class II antigens resemble their mammalian counterparts in the encoded protein structure. The class IV region encodes the B blood group antigens, which are readily identified yb serological blood-typing. The class III region appears to be divided in chickens, with some elements that are MHC-linked and others that map elsewhere. In addition the Rfp-Y system, which bears a strong similarity to the MHC, maps to the opposite side of the nucleolar organiser region on the same microchromosome as the MHC. Each class of MHC genes is a potential candidate for a role in disease resistance. The MHC genes show associations with response to diseases as diverse as virally induced neoplasia, bacterial, parasitic and auto-immune diseases. Keywords Bacteria, Disease resistance, Fowl, Genetics, Immunity, Major histocompatibility complex, Parasites, Viruses Disciplines Agriculture | Animal Sciences | Genetics | Immunology and Infectious Disease Comments This article is published as Lamont, Susan J. "The chicken major histocompatibility complex and disease." OIE Revue Scientifique et echniqueT 17, no. 1 (1998): 128-142. DOI: 10.20506/rst.17.1.1090. Posted with permission. This article is available at Iowa State University Digital Repository: https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/ans_pubs/855 Rev. sci. tech. Off. int. Epiz., 1998,17 (1), 128-142 The chicken major histocompatibility complex and disease S.J. Lamont Department of Animal Science, 201 Kildee Hall, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011-3150, United States of America Summary The chicken major histocompatibility complex (MHC), or 6 complex, consists of several clusters of highly polymorphic genes, some of which are associated with disease resistance. The class I and class II antigens resemble their mammalian counterparts in the encoded protein structure. The class IV region encodes the B blood group antigens, which are readily identified by serological blood-typing. The class III region appears to be divided in chickens, with some elements that are MHC-linked and others that map elsewhere. In addition the Rfp-Y system, which bears a strong similarity to the MHC, maps to the opposite side of the nucleolar organiser region on the same microchromosome as the MHC. Each class of MHC genes is a potential candidate for a role in disease resistance. The MHC genes show associations with response to diseases as diverse as virally induced neoplasia, bacterial, parasitic and auto-immune diseases. Keywords Bacteria - Disease resistance - Fowl - Genetics - Immunity - Major histocompatibility complex - Parasites - Viruses. (GVH) splenomegaly (62), GVH-chorioallantoic membrane Discovery of the chicken major pocks (135) and the mixed lymphocyte reaction (100). histocompatibility complex Unique genetic structure of the The B complex (or major histocompatibility complex: MHC) of the chicken was first reported by Briles et al. as a highly chicken major histocompatibility polymorphic erythrocyte antigen or blood group system (13). The gene locus symbol was assigned as B to indicate that this complex region was the second chicken blood group system to be discovered. Gilmour independently reported the discovery of the same Pink et al. defined a three-locus model of the chicken MHC blood group locus (45). Persistence of multiple alleles of the B (118). In the ensuing two decades, the molecular dissection of system, even in small, closed and inbred populations, the chicken MHC has demonstrated an unanticipated level of suggested a role of the B blood group in fitness and a selective complexity of genomic organisation (Fig. 1) (50, 51, 52, 65, advantage of B heterozygosity for survival (12, 45). The 67, 79, 101). Bloom and Bacon assigned the MHC to discovery by Schierman and Nordskog that the B blood group microchromosome 16 by analysing aneuploid chickens which system is linked to the major histocompatibility complex bore the nucleoli organiser region (NOR) on the extra determined the biological mechanism by which the B system chromosomes (8, 9). This microchromosome was estimated influenced fitness (134). In skin graft experiments using to be 8 megabase pairs (Mbp), with 6 Mbp of NOR encoding partially inbred birds, grafts between birds of the same B type approximately 400 tandemly repeated ribosomal RNA (rRNA) were accepted while those of different B blood types were clusters (33,124). rejected, thus the linkage of B with the major skin graft locus was confirmed. Additional evidence that the B system The genomic organisation of the chicken MHC differs from represented the chicken MHC was provided by the that of a typical mammalian MHC. The chicken MHC is quite identification of B as the locus controlling graft versus host compact, approximately 30 to 100 kilobase (kb) long Rev. sci. tech. Off. int. Epiz., 17 (1) 129 rRNA : ribosomal RNA cM : centiMorgan Fig. 1 Schematic presentation of organisation of the chicken major histocompatibility complex Modified from Kaufman & Lamont (72) . compared to up to 4 Mbp in mammals, and the number of Research conducted by W.E. Briles and M. Miller showed that genes in MHC-like multigene families is therefore relatively some class I a and class II (3 bands on Southern blots do not small (approximately 2 class II (3,1 class II a and 1-2 class I a co-segregate with the serologically defined B complex. This genes) (63, 71). The few class I a genes located in cosmid new locus, defined by restriction fragment length cluster I, which are the only genes to encode polymorphic polymorphism (RFLP) analysis, was named the Rfp-Y locus molecules expressed at a high level, represent the classical (16). The Rfp-Y locus was mapped to cosmid cluster II/IV and MHC (the B-F/B-L locus) of the chicken. Other genes, such as III (106), separated from cosmid cluster I by the highly the TAP (transporters associated with antigen processing) recombinogenic region of the repetitive NOR (108). By in situ gene(s) involved in transport of antigenic peptides across the hybridisation, both the B and Rfp-Y complexes were mapped membrane of the endoplasmic reticulum for association with to the same microchromosome (42). The Rfp-Y region is class I molecules, are also located in the classical MHC region. thought to be involved in natural killer recognition, based on Non-classical (non-class I, non-class II) MHC genes mapping the involvement of class I and animal C-type lectin (such as to this region include the 12.3 gene that encodes for a G the 17.8 gene) molecules (107). protein-like molecule (52), the 8.5 gene that encodes a B-G molecule (68), the 21.7 gene that encodes a TAP molecule The ß m cDNA clones (the ß m protein being associated with (J.F. Kaufman and N. Bumstead, unpublished findings), as 2 2 well as the 17.8 gene that encodes a member of the C-type mature class I MHC molecules [115]) were identified by animal lectin super-family (7). screening with oligonucleotides based on protein sequence. Using these cDNAs as probes, a single (ß2m gene located outside the MHC was found (69). The ß m gene was located The distribution of class III genes in the chicken may include 2 by in situ hybridisation on a non-MHC microchromosome non-MHC linked sites. Most genes characteristic of the (124). mammalian class III region have not been identified in the chicken MHC cosmids isolated thus far. Electrophoretic polymorphisms of glyoxalase 1 (GLO) (126) and chicken Genes encoding the MHC class IV, or B-G, erythrocyte factor B (78) do not segregate with the B complex. However, a alloantigens are closely (approximately 0.05 centiMorgan DNA polymorphism, detected by G9a (109), of the class III [cM]) linked to the B-F/B-L region (31, 138). Several groups region of the human MHC has been mapped to the chicken have isolated cDNA clones corresponding to B-G molecules MHC (140), providing evidence that at least some part of the (37,47, 64, 65, 68). The B-G genes map to cosmid clusters V class III region is associated with the chicken MHC. and VI. Based on Southern blots using these cDNA clones as 130 Rev. sci. tech. Off. int. Epiz., 17 (1) probes, the B-G genes form an extensive multigene family identified on cluster I; two class II (3 gene fragments and two (106). One B-G RFLP corresponds to the 8.5 gene in cosmid class I a gene fragments and the 17.8 gene were identified on cluster I, which encodes a B-G molecule found on B cells (64, cluster II/IV; and a class II ß gene fragment, the 13.8 gene and 67). some rRNA genes were identified on cluster III (49). Researchers later determined that only cluster I corresponds The map of the MFIC from CB chicken cosmids provides a to the serologically defined B complex.
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