Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2020 Jun;47(3):243-260.
doi: 10.1111/iji.12490. Epub 2020 May 2.

Comparative genetics of the major histocompatibility complex in humans and nonhuman primates

Corrine M C Heijmans  1 , Natasja G de Groot  1 , Ronald E Bontrop  1   2
Affiliations
Review

Comparative genetics of the major histocompatibility complex in humans and nonhuman primates

Corrine M C Heijmans et al. Int J Immunogenet. 2020 Jun.

Abstract

The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) is one of the most gene-dense regions of the mammalian genome. Multiple genes within the human MHC (HLA) show extensive polymorphism, and currently, more than 26,000 alleles divided over 39 different genes are known. Nonhuman primate (NHP) species are grouped into great and lesser apes and Old and New World monkeys, and their MHC is studied mostly because of their important role as animal models in preclinical research or in connection with conservation biology purposes. The evolutionary equivalents of many of the HLA genes are present in NHP species, and these genes may also show abundant levels of polymorphism. This review is intended to provide a comprehensive comparison relating to the organization and polymorphism of human and NHP MHC regions.

Keywords: genetics; histocompatibility; immunology; molecular biology; nonhuman; polymorphism.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

REFERENCES

    1. Abi-Rached, L., Moesta, A. K., Rajalingam, R., Guethlein, L. A., & Parham, P. (2010). Human-specific evolution and adaptation led to major qualitative differences in the variable receptors of human and chimpanzee natural killer cells. PLoS Genetics, 6, e1001192. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgen.1001192
    1. Adams, E. J., Cooper, S., & Parham, P. (2001). A novel, nonclassical MHC class I molecule specific to the common chimpanzee. The Journal of Immunology, 167, 3858-3869. https://doi.org/10.4049/jimmunol.167.7.3858
    1. Adams, E. J., Thomson, G., & Parham, P. (1999). Evidence for an HLA-C-like locus in the orangutan Pongo pygmaeus. Immunogenetics, 49, 865-871. https://doi.org/10.1007/s002510050566
    1. Allen, T. M., Sidney, J., del Guercio, M. F., Glickman, R. L., Lensmeyer, G. L., Wiebe, D. A., … Watkins, D. I. (1998). Characterization of the peptide binding motif of a rhesus MHC class I molecule (Mamu-A*01) that binds an immunodominant CTL epitope from simian immunodeficiency virus. The Journal of Immunology, 160, 6062-6071.
    1. Antunes, S. G., de Groot, N. G., Brok, H., Doxiadis, G., Menezes, A. A., Otting, N., & Bontrop, R. E. (1998). The common marmoset: A new world primate species with limited Mhc class II variability. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 95, 11745-11750. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.95.20.11745

LinkOut - more resources