Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) Markers in Conservation Biology

Human impacts through habitat destruction, introduction of invasive species and climate change are increasing the number of species threatened with extinction. Decreases in population size simultaneously lead to reductions in genetic diversity, ultimately reducing the ability of populations to adapt...

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Main Authors:	Ujvari, Beata, Belov, Katherine
Format:	Online
Language:	English
Published:	Molecular Diversity Preservation International (MDPI) 2011
Online Access:	https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3179158/

id	pubmed-3179158
recordtype	oai_dc
spelling	pubmed-31791582011-09-27 Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) Markers in Conservation Biology Ujvari, Beata Belov, Katherine Review Human impacts through habitat destruction, introduction of invasive species and climate change are increasing the number of species threatened with extinction. Decreases in population size simultaneously lead to reductions in genetic diversity, ultimately reducing the ability of populations to adapt to a changing environment. In this way, loss of genetic polymorphism is linked with extinction risk. Recent advances in sequencing technologies mean that obtaining measures of genetic diversity at functionally important genes is within reach for conservation programs. A key region of the genome that should be targeted for population genetic studies is the Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC). MHC genes, found in all jawed vertebrates, are the most polymorphic genes in vertebrate genomes. They play key roles in immune function via immune-recognition and -surveillance and host-parasite interaction. Therefore, measuring levels of polymorphism at these genes can provide indirect measures of the immunological fitness of populations. The MHC has also been linked with mate-choice and pregnancy outcomes and has application for improving mating success in captive breeding programs. The recent discovery that genetic diversity at MHC genes may protect against the spread of contagious cancers provides an added impetus for managing and protecting MHC diversity in wild populations. Here we review the field and focus on the successful applications of MHC-typing for conservation management. We emphasize the importance of using MHC markers when planning and executing wildlife rescue and conservation programs but stress that this should not be done to the detriment of genome-wide diversity. Molecular Diversity Preservation International (MDPI) 2011-08-15 /pmc/articles/PMC3179158/ /pubmed/21954351 http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijms12085168 Text en © 2011 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0 This article is an open-access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/).
repository_type	Open Access Journal
institution_category	Foreign Institution
institution	US National Center for Biotechnology Information
building	NCBI PubMed
collection	Online Access
language	English
format	Online
author	Ujvari, Beata Belov, Katherine
spellingShingle	Ujvari, Beata Belov, Katherine Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) Markers in Conservation Biology
author_facet	Ujvari, Beata Belov, Katherine
author_sort	Ujvari, Beata
title	Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) Markers in Conservation Biology
title_short	Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) Markers in Conservation Biology
title_full	Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) Markers in Conservation Biology
title_fullStr	Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) Markers in Conservation Biology
title_full_unstemmed	Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) Markers in Conservation Biology
title_sort	major histocompatibility complex (mhc) markers in conservation biology
description	Human impacts through habitat destruction, introduction of invasive species and climate change are increasing the number of species threatened with extinction. Decreases in population size simultaneously lead to reductions in genetic diversity, ultimately reducing the ability of populations to adapt to a changing environment. In this way, loss of genetic polymorphism is linked with extinction risk. Recent advances in sequencing technologies mean that obtaining measures of genetic diversity at functionally important genes is within reach for conservation programs. A key region of the genome that should be targeted for population genetic studies is the Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC). MHC genes, found in all jawed vertebrates, are the most polymorphic genes in vertebrate genomes. They play key roles in immune function via immune-recognition and -surveillance and host-parasite interaction. Therefore, measuring levels of polymorphism at these genes can provide indirect measures of the immunological fitness of populations. The MHC has also been linked with mate-choice and pregnancy outcomes and has application for improving mating success in captive breeding programs. The recent discovery that genetic diversity at MHC genes may protect against the spread of contagious cancers provides an added impetus for managing and protecting MHC diversity in wild populations. Here we review the field and focus on the successful applications of MHC-typing for conservation management. We emphasize the importance of using MHC markers when planning and executing wildlife rescue and conservation programs but stress that this should not be done to the detriment of genome-wide diversity.
publisher	Molecular Diversity Preservation International (MDPI)
publishDate	2011
url	https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3179158/
_version_	1611477090017738752

Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) Markers in Conservation Biology

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