Dissertation Research: Mhc Diversity in Ctenomyid Rodents

[801022] Patton主要组织相容性复合体（Mhc）是一组至少由84个基因组成的，它们控制部分免疫反应。Mhc在所有脊椎动物中都是共享的，由于平衡选择，许多等位基因在种群中保持不变。由于Mhc在免疫系统中起作用，选择被认为是直接由于暴露于疾病生物体。疾病暴露增加的可能性被认为是哺乳动物复杂社会系统发展的主要代价，本研究旨在通过检查两种相关穴居啮齿动物（Ctenomys）中不同社会互动水平的Mhc变异性水平来验证这一假设。一种是两性个体保持单独的洞穴系统，只在交配时短暂接触；在另一种情况下，一群个体共同居住在一个共同的地下隧道系统中，并共享共同的巢穴。研究人员将在阿根廷南部巴里洛切附近的两个物种的研究种群中描述两个Mhc位点的遗传变异程度，该种群也正在进行生态，行为和其他属性的深入研究。因此，这项研究旨在测试进化生物学中的一个主要问题（哺乳动物社会性进化的制约因素）。同时，这项研究对其他哺乳动物（如人类）的基本公共卫生和疾病研究具有潜在价值。

9801022 Patton The Major Histocompatibility Complex (Mhc) is a group of at least 84 genes which control part of the immune response. The Mhc is shared among all vertebrates, with many alleles maintained in populations due to balancing selection. Selection is thought to be due directly to exposure to disease organisms, since the Mhc functions in the immune system. The potential for increased exposure to disease is assumed to be a major cost to the development of complex social systems in mammals, and this study is designed to test this assumption by examining the levels of Mhc variability in two related species of burrowing rodent (Ctenomys) that differ in their level of social interactions. In one, individuals of both sexes maintain separate burrow systems and only contact one another briefly for mating; in the other, colonies of individuals co-inhabit a common underground tunnel system and share common nests. The investigators will characterize the degree of genetic variation in two Mhc loci in study populations of both species near Bariloche, in southern Argentina, populations that are also being studied intensively for ecological, behavioral, and other attributes. This study thus aims to test a major question in evolutionary biology (constraints on the evolution of sociality in mammals). Simultaneously, the study has potential value to basic public health and disease studies in other mammals, such as humans.