International Mammalian Genome Society

17th International Mouse Genome Conference

9-12 November 2003, Braunschweig, Germany

Plenary Presentations * Oral Presentations *
Poster Presentations: Behavioural Genetics and Genomics * Development and Stem Cells * Functional Genome Analysis * Mouse Models of Human Disease * Mouse System Biology Bioinformatics * Multigenic and Multifactorial Trait Analysis * Nutrition and Metabolic Disease * Phenotyping Methods Imaging * The Genetics and Genomics of Infectious Disease *
Verne Chapman Memorial Lecture * Table of Contents * Sponsor/Exhibitor List * Awards * Photographs

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POSTER 216 - HAPLOTYPE-SPECIFIC CLASS I GENE CONTENT OF THE H2-D/Q REGION OF THE MOUSE MAJOR HISTOCOMPATIBILITY COMPLEX (MHC)

Takada T
1) The Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, Tokyo 113-8613, Japan, 2) Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Center for Immunology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas 75390-9050, USA

Co-Authors: 2) Kumánovics A, 1) Yonekawa H, 2) Fischer Lindahl K
Institutions: 1) The Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, Tokyo 113-8613, Japan, 2) Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Center for Immunology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas 75390-9050, USA

The 4 megabase MHC in mammals is a mosaic. Stretches of conserved genes separate regions of MHC class I (or II) genes that evolve rapidly by duplication and deletion. The 350-kb H2-D/Q region is such a stretch of mouse-specific class I genes, which has been characterized in some detail in 6 haplotypes (b, bc, d, k, f, and p). Each contains a different number and selection of class I genes, greatly complicating the naming of genes and definition of alleles. H2-Q class I molecules can interact with CD8+ T lymphocytes and NK cells of the immune system.

Cloning and mapping of the Q region from the p haplotype of strain B10.P hinted at the presence of new genes, Q11, Q12, and Q13, rather than alleles of known genes (Litaker et al. 1996, Mammalian Genome 7: 200-205). We therefore undertook to sequence this 200-kb region from H2-Dp through H2-Q5. It contains 7 class I genes, all with open reading frames. The p haplotype is most similar to the k haplotype of strain C3H; Q12p clusters with Q2k and Q5p clusters with Q5k. Q11p and Q13p appear to be alleles of H2-D-like class I genes known from haplotypes that have not been mapped physically.

Phylogenetic analysis of Q11p combined with its unique position between Dp and Q1p support a bi-directional exchange of large segments, containing entire class I genes, between the H2-K and H2-D/Q regions, providing clues to the origin of H2-D/Q genes and the lack of distinct K-ness or D-ness.