Balancing selection and genetic drift at major histocompatibility complex class II genes in isolated populations of golden snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus roxellana)

BMC Evolutionary Biology

Ming Li³  Zhi-Jin Liu³  Hui-Juan Pan¹  Mao-Fang Luo² 

[1] College of Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, 100083, China;Graduate School of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China;Key laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1-5 Beixhenxi Road, Chaoyang, Beijing, 100101, China

关键词: Rhinopithecus roxellana;    MHC;    Gene drift;    Conservation genetics;    Balancing selection;   

Others  :  1140162
DOI  :  10.1186/1471-2148-12-207

 received in 2012-02-28, accepted in 2012-10-05,  发布年份 2012

【 摘 要 】

Background

Small, isolated populations often experience loss of genetic variation due to random genetic drift. Unlike neutral or nearly neutral markers (such as mitochondrial genes or microsatellites), major histocompatibility complex (MHC) genes in these populations may retain high levels of polymorphism due to balancing selection. The relative roles of balancing selection and genetic drift in either small isolated or bottlenecked populations remain controversial. In this study, we examined the mechanisms maintaining polymorphisms of MHC genes in small isolated populations of the endangered golden snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus roxellana) by comparing genetic variation found in MHC and microsatellite loci. There are few studies of this kind conducted on highly endangered primate species.

Results

Two MHC genes were sequenced and sixteen microsatellite loci were genotyped from samples representing three isolated populations. We isolated nine DQA1 alleles and sixteen DQB1 alleles and validated expression of the alleles. Lowest genetic variation for both MHC and microsatellites was found in the Shennongjia (SNJ) population. Historical balancing selection was revealed at both the DQA1 and DQB1 loci, as revealed by excess non-synonymous substitutions at antigen binding sites (ABS) and maximum-likelihood-based random-site models. Patterns of microsatellite variation revealed population structure. F_ST outlier analysis showed that population differentiation at the two MHC loci was similar to the microsatellite loci.

Conclusions

MHC genes and microsatellite loci showed the same allelic richness pattern with the lowest genetic variation occurring in SNJ, suggesting that genetic drift played a prominent role in these isolated populations. As MHC genes are subject to selective pressures, the maintenance of genetic variation is of particular interest in small, long-isolated populations. The results of this study may contribute to captive breeding and translocation programs for endangered species.

【 授权许可】

   
2012 Luo et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

【 图 表 】

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