MHC class II DRB variability in wild black howler monkeys (Alouatta pigra), an endangered New World primate

Abstract

MHC class II DRB variability in wild black howler monkey (Alouatta pigra), an endangered New World primate. The genes of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) are the most important genetic component of the immune system in vertebrates. Their variability is known to influence a species' ability to recognize and respond to pathogens. Here, we present the first data of the MHC class II DRB exon 2 for the endangered black howler monkey (Alouatta pigra), one of the most northerly distributed platyrrhines. Twenty-one DRB sequences corresponding to four new lineages were identified in 44 individuals through a combination of cloning and reference strand conformational analysis. The detection of up to eight sequences per individual suggests the existence of at least four loci in the species. A relatively low DRB sequence diversity, but similar lineage and loci numbers. were found in A. pigra when compared to other platyrrhines. The reduced DRB allelic diversity in the species appears to be a consequence of drift, reflecting the colonization by its ancestors from South to Central America. Finally, the allelic diversity in the species might be enabling an adequate immune response in wild populations to cope with current pathogens, but it might entail a risk for these populations in case of the emergence of new pathogens.

Paternity data reveal high MHC diversity among sires in a polygynandrous, egalitarian primate

“…This result is consistent with the non-aggressive and promiscuous behaviour of muriquis and with a scramble rather than contest model of male reproductive competition [79]. Indeed, in contrast to chimpanzees, where alpha males sire a smaller share of infants as the number of male competitors increases [29,32], we found the opposite pattern in muriquis, with reproductive skew slightly higher for the cohort with more potential male competitors (31 versus 27). Instead, patterns of female mate choice and the social influence of adult males' mothers seem to have a bigger impact on the variation we observe in muriquis, with matriarchs and their adult sons possibly collaborating to mutually increase each other's fitness [24].…”

“…We focused on the DRB1 gene, and particularly on exon 2, which contributes to coding the structure of the extracellular antigen-binding region. This gene is exceptionally polymorphic and is the most commonly screened locus in studies of MHC variation in nonhuman primates [30][31][32][33][34][35]. MHC allele calling was performed using the AmpliSAS pipeline [36].…”

Nomenclature report 2019: major histocompatibility complex genes and alleles of Great and Small Ape and Old and New World monkey species

“…Since then, research on the MHC of non-human primate (NHP) species has intensified, and most often concerns species that are models for human biology and disease. In addition, there has also been a steady growth in the MHC content-derived diverse NHP species that are studied for conservation biology purposes (Cao et al 2015;de Groot et al 2017a, b;Hans et al 2017;Maibach et al 2017;Wroblewski et al 2017;Arguello-Sanchez et al 2018).…”

Major histocompatibility complex class II DR and DQ evolution and variation in wild capuchin monkey species (Cebinae)

“…While few studies have thoroughly examined wild populations of platyrrhines to shed light on MHC-related questions, the limited studies suggest a diverse and variable system. To date, studies of Class II MHC in wild populations of platyrrhines have revealed some diversity in the DP and DQ genes, and extensive variation in DR genes (Aotidae [ 5 , 20 – 23 ]; Alouatta pigra [ 24 ]).…”