Search

MHCY is a second major histocompatibility complex-like gene region in chickens originally identified by the presence of major histocompatibility complex class I-like and class II-like gene sequences. Up to now, the MHCY gene region has been poorly represented in genomic sequence data. A high density of repetitive sequence and multiple members of several gene families prevented the accurate assembly of short-read sequence data for MHCY. Identified here by single-molecule real-time sequencing sequencing of BAC clones for the Gallus gallus Red Jungle Fowl reference genome are 107 MHCY region genes (45 major histocompatibility complex class I-like, 41 c-type-lectin-like, 8 major histocompatibility complex class IIβ, 8 LENG9-like, 4 zinc finger protein loci, and a single only zinc finger-like locus) located amid hundreds of retroelements within 4 contigs representing the region. Sequences obtained for nearby ribosomal RNA genes have allowed MHCY to be precisely mapped with respect to the nucleolar organizer region. Gene sequences provide insights into the unusual structure of the MHCY class I molecules. The MHCY class I loci are polymorphic and group into 22 types based on predicted amino acid sequences. Some MHCY class I loci are full-length major histocompatibility complex class I genes. Others with altered gene structure are considered gene candidates. The amino acid side chains at many of the polymorphic positions in MHCY class I are directed away rather than into the antigen-binding groove as is typical of peptide-binding major histocompatibility complex class I molecules. Identical and nearly identical blocks of genomic sequence contribute to the observed multiplicity of identical MHCY genes and the large size (>639 kb) of the Red Jungle Fowl MHCY haplotype. Multiple points of hybridization observed in fluorescence in situ hybridization suggest that the Red Jungle Fowl MHCY haplotype is made up of linked, but physically separated genomic segments. The unusual gene content, the evidence of highly similar duplicated segments, and additional evidence of variation in haplotype size distinguish polymorphic MHCY from classical polymorphic major histocompatibility complex regions., (© The Author(s) 2022. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Genetics Society of America.)

Pathogen selection is postulated to drive MHC allelic diversity at loci for antigen presentation. However, readily apparent MHC infectious disease associations are rare in most species. The strong link between MHC-B haplotype and the occurrence of virally induced tumors in the chicken provides a means for defining the relationship between pathogen selection and MHC polymorphism. Here, we verified a significant difference in resistance to gallid herpesvirus-2 (GaHV-2)-induced lymphomas (Marek's disease) conferred by two closely-related recombinant MHC-B haplotypes. We mapped the crossover breakpoints that distinguish these haplotypes to the highly polymorphic BG1 locus. BG1 encodes an Ig-superfamily type I transmembrane receptor-like protein that contains an immunoreceptor tyrosine-based inhibition motif (ITIM), which undergoes phosphorylation and is recognized by Src homology 2 domain-containing protein tyrosine phosphatase (SHP-2). The recombinant haplotypes are identical, except for differences within the BG1 3'-untranslated region (3'-UTR). The 3'-UTR of the BG1 allele associated with increased lymphoma contains a 225-bp insert of retroviral origin and showed greater inhibition of luciferase reporter gene translation compared to the other allele. These findings suggest that BG1 could affect the outcome of GaHV-2 infection through modulation of the lymphoid cell responsiveness to infection, a condition that is critical for GaHV-2 replication and in which the MHC-B haplotype has been previously implicated. This work provides a mechanism by which MHC-B region genetics contributes to the incidence of GaHV-2-induced malignant lymphoma in the chicken and invites consideration of the possibility that similar mechanisms might affect the incidence of lymphomas associated with other oncogenic viral infections.

MHC haplotypes have a remarkable influence on whether tumors form following infection of chickens with oncogenic Marek's disease herpesvirus. Although resistance to tumor formation has been mapped to a subregion of the chicken MHC-B region, the gene or genes responsible have not been identified. A full gene map of the subregion has been lacking. We have expanded the MHC-B region gene map beyond the 92-kb core previously reported for another haplotype revealing the presence of 46 genes within 242 kb in the Red Jungle Fowl haplotype. Even though MHC-B is structured differently, many of the newly revealed genes are related to loci typical of the MHC in other species. Other MHC-B loci are homologs of genes found within MHC paralogous regions (regions thought to be derived from ancient duplications of a primordial immune defense complex where genes have undergone differential silencing over evolutionary time) on other chromosomes. Still others are similar to genes that define the NK complex in mammals. Many of the newly mapped genes display allelic variability and fall within the MHC-B subregion previously shown to affect the formation of Marek's disease tumors and hence are candidates for genes conferring resistance.

Background: The quail and chicken major histocompatibility complex (Mhc) genomic regions have a similar overall organization but differ markedly in that the quail has an expanded number of duplicated class I, class IIB, natural killer (NK)-receptor-like, lectin-like and BG genes. Therefore, the elucidation of genetic factors that contribute to the greater Mhc diversity in the quail would help to establish it as a model experimental animal in the investigation of avian Mhc associated diseases. AIMS AND APPROACHES: The main aim here was to characterize the genetic and genomic features of the transcribed major quail MhcIIB (CojaIIB) region that is located between the Tapasin and BRD2 genes, and to compare our findings to the available information for the chicken MhcIIB (BLB). We used four approaches in the study of the quail MhcIIB region, (1) haplotype analyses with polymorphic loci, (2) cloning and sequencing of the RT-PCR CojaIIB products from individuals with different haplotypes, (3) genomic sequencing of the CojaIIB region from the individuals with the different haplotypes, and (4) phylogenetic and duplication analysis to explain the variability of the region between the quail and the chicken., Results: Our results show that the Tapasin-BRD2 segment of the quail Mhc is highly variable in length and in gene transcription intensity and content. Haplotypic sequences were found to vary in length between 4 to 11 kb. Tapasin-BRD2 segments contain one or two major transcribed CojaIIBs that were probably generated by segmental duplications involving c-type lectin-like genes and NK receptor-like genes, gene fusions between two CojaIIBs and transpositions between the major and minor CojaIIB segments. The relative evolutionary speed for generating the MhcIIBs genomic structures from the ancestral BLB2 was estimated to be two times faster in the quail than in the chicken after their separation from a common ancestor. Four types of genomic rearrangement elements (GRE), composed of simple tandem repeats (STR), were identified in the MhcIIB genomic segment located between the Tapasin-BRD2 genes. The GREs have many more STR numbers in the quail than in the chicken that displays strong linkage disequilibrium., Conclusion: This study suggests that the Mhc classIIB region has a flexible genomic structure generated by rearrangement elements and rapid SNP accumulation probably as a consequence of the quail adapting to environmental conditions and pathogens during its migratory history after its divergence from the chicken.

We mapped two different quail Mhc haplotypes and sequenced one of them (haplotype A) for comparative genomic analysis with a previously sequenced haplotype of the chicken Mhc. The quail haplotype A spans 180 kb of genomic sequence, encoding a total of 41 genes compared with only 19 genes within the 92-kb chicken Mhc. Except for two gene families (B30 and tRNA), both species have the same basic set of gene family members that were previously described in the chicken "minimal essential" Mhc. The two Mhc regions have a similar overall organization but differ markedly in that the quail has an expanded number of duplicated genes with 7 class I, 10 class IIB, 4 NK, 6 lectin, and 8 B-G genes. Comparisons between the quail and chicken Mhc class I and class II gene sequences by phylogenetic analysis showed that they were more closely related within species than between species, suggesting that the quail Mhc genes were duplicated after the separation of these two species from their common ancestor. The proteins encoded by the NK and class I genes are known to interact as ligands and receptors, but unlike in the quail and the chicken, the genes encoding these proteins in mammals are found on different chromosomes. The finding of NK-like genes in the quail Mhc strongly suggests an evolutionary connection between the NK C-type lectin-like superfamily and the Mhc, providing support for future studies on the NK, lectin, class I, and class II interaction in birds.

In the current study, we describe four novel members of the 90 kDa heat shock protein (HSP90) family expressed in Japanese quail, Coturnix japonica. The coding regions of the genes, CjHSP90AA1, CjHSP90AB1, CjHSP90B1 and CjTRAP1, exhibited more than 94% similarity to their related genes in chicken. The putative proteins encoded by these quail genes contained motifs considered essential for HSP90 gene function. In addition, the predicted proteins were more similar to HSP90AA1, HSP90AB1, HSP90B1 and TRAP1 proteins expressed in vertebrates than they were to other members of the HSP90 family. Exon numbers of CjHSP90AA1 (11), CjHSP90AB1 (12) or CjTRAP1 (18) are the same as the chicken and mammalian orthologs. Furthermore, gene order in the regions surrounding CjHSP90AB1 and CjTRAP1 has been preserved, providing evidence that the genomic regions were orthologous to HSP90-containing regions in the chicken genome. The promoter regions of the genes also contained conserved motifs identified in related genes of chicken. However, the nucleotide sequences of the 5′-flanking region of these genes were highly polymorphic. We also found that CjHSP90AA1 exhibited a robust response to heat shock treatment. Taken together, the data suggest that CjHSP90AA1, CjHSP90AB1, CjHSP90B1 and CjTRAP1 encode orthologs of HSP90AA1, HSP90AB1, HSP90B1 and TRAP1, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]