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- Title
Recombination and selection in the major histocompatibility complex of the endangered forest musk deer (Moschus berezovskii).
- Authors
Cai, Ruibo; Shafer, Aaron B.A.; Laguardia, Alice; Lin, Zhenzhen; Liu, Shuqiang; Hu, Defu
- Abstract
The forest musk deer (Moschus berezovskii) is a high elevation species distributed across western China and northern Vietnam. Once abundant, habitat loss and poaching has led to a dramatic decrease in population numbers prompting the IUCN to list the species as endangered. Here, we characterized the genetic diversity of a Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) locus and teased apart driving factors shaping its variation. Seven DRB exon 2 alleles were identified among a group of randomly sampled forest musk deer from a captive population in the Sichuan province of China. Compared to other endangered or captive ungulates, forest musk deer have relatively low levels of MHC genetic diversity. Non-synonymous substitutions primarily occurred in the putative peptide-binding region (PBR), with analyses suggesting that recombination and selection has shaped the genetic diversity across the locus. Specifically, inter-allelic recombination generated novel allelic combinations, with evidence for both positive selection acting on the PBR and negative selection on the non-PBR. An improved understanding of functional genetic variability of the MHC will facilitate better design and management of captive breeding programs for this endangered species.
- Subjects
MUSK deer; POACHING; ENDANGERED species; MOSCHUS berezovskii; MAJOR histocompatibility complex
- Publication
Scientific Reports, 2015, p17285
- ISSN
2045-2322
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1038/srep17285