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The Molecular Descent of the Major Histocompatibility Complex

The Molecular Descent of the Major Histocompatibility Complex In the last few years, more than 500 primate major histocompatibility complex (Mhc) genes or parts thereof have been sequenced. The extra­ ordinary sequence information is used here to draw conclusions about the manner of Mhc evolution. The Mhc genes are found to evolve at a relatively slow rate with the regularity of a clock. It takes from 1 to 6 million years for a new mutation to be incorporated into an Mhc allele, and the mutation rate is comparable to that of most other primate genes. The non­ synonymous sites coding for the peptide-binding region (PBR) are under relatively weak positive selection pressure (selection coefficient of a few percent only); the nonsynonymous non-PBR sites are under moderate negative selection pressure. The positive pressure is probably provided by parasites and is responsible for the trans-species persistence of allelic lineages at functional Mhc loci for more than 40 million years. 269 0732-0582/93/041 0-0269$02.00 KLEIN ET AL THE BEL CANTO OF EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY At the beginning of the nineteenth century,Italian opera composers redis­ covered the charms of bel canto, a style introduced some 200 years earlier to accentuate the splendor of the human voice. In the bel canto operas of http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Annual Review of Immunology Annual Reviews

The Molecular Descent of the Major Histocompatibility Complex

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Publisher
Annual Reviews
Copyright
Copyright 1993 Annual Reviews. All rights reserved
Subject
Review Articles
ISSN
0732-0582
eISSN
1545-3278
DOI
10.1146/annurev.iy.11.040193.001413
pmid
8476562
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

In the last few years, more than 500 primate major histocompatibility complex (Mhc) genes or parts thereof have been sequenced. The extra­ ordinary sequence information is used here to draw conclusions about the manner of Mhc evolution. The Mhc genes are found to evolve at a relatively slow rate with the regularity of a clock. It takes from 1 to 6 million years for a new mutation to be incorporated into an Mhc allele, and the mutation rate is comparable to that of most other primate genes. The non­ synonymous sites coding for the peptide-binding region (PBR) are under relatively weak positive selection pressure (selection coefficient of a few percent only); the nonsynonymous non-PBR sites are under moderate negative selection pressure. The positive pressure is probably provided by parasites and is responsible for the trans-species persistence of allelic lineages at functional Mhc loci for more than 40 million years. 269 0732-0582/93/041 0-0269$02.00 KLEIN ET AL THE BEL CANTO OF EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY At the beginning of the nineteenth century,Italian opera composers redis­ covered the charms of bel canto, a style introduced some 200 years earlier to accentuate the splendor of the human voice. In the bel canto operas of

Journal

Annual Review of Immunology – Annual Reviews

Published: Apr 1, 1993

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