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Experimental evidence for major histocompatibility complex-allele-specific resistance to a bacterial infection

Lohm, Jakob LU ; Grahn, Mats LU ; Langefors, Åsa LU ; Andersen, O ; Storset, A and von Schantz, Torbjörn LU (2002) In Royal Society of London. Proceedings B. Biological Sciences 269(1504). p.2029-2033
Abstract
The extreme polymorphism found at some major histocompatibility complex (MHC) loci is believed to be maintained by balancing selection caused by infectious pathogens. Experimental support for this is inconclusive. We have studied the interaction between certain MHC alleles and the bacterium Aeromonas salmonicida, which causes the severe disease furunculosis, in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.). We designed full-sibling broods consisting of combinations of homozygote and heterozygote genotypes with respect to resistance or susceptibility alleles. The juveniles were experimentally infected with A. salmonicida and their individual survival was monitored. By comparing full siblings carrying different MHC genotypes the effects on survival due... (More)
The extreme polymorphism found at some major histocompatibility complex (MHC) loci is believed to be maintained by balancing selection caused by infectious pathogens. Experimental support for this is inconclusive. We have studied the interaction between certain MHC alleles and the bacterium Aeromonas salmonicida, which causes the severe disease furunculosis, in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.). We designed full-sibling broods consisting of combinations of homozygote and heterozygote genotypes with respect to resistance or susceptibility alleles. The juveniles were experimentally infected with A. salmonicida and their individual survival was monitored. By comparing full siblings carrying different MHC genotypes the effects on survival due to other segregating genes were minimized. We show that a pathogen has the potential to cause very intense selection pressure on particular MHC alleles; the relative fitness difference between individuals carrying different MHC alleles was as high as 0.5. A co-dominant pattern of disease resistance/susceptibility was found, indicative of qualitative difference in the immune response between individuals carrying the high- and low-resistance alleles. Rather unexpectedly, survival was not higher among heterozygous individuals as compared with homozygous ones. (Less)
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author
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organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Royal Society of London. Proceedings B. Biological Sciences
volume
269
issue
1504
pages
2029 - 2033
publisher
Royal Society Publishing
external identifiers
  • wos:000178593600009
  • pmid:12396502
  • scopus:41049095379
ISSN
1471-2954
DOI
10.1098/rspb.2002.2114
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
9bff40b2-3401-4a60-ad53-062f6f2df6b5 (old id 145498)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 11:53:01
date last changed
2022-01-26 19:37:16
@article{9bff40b2-3401-4a60-ad53-062f6f2df6b5,
  abstract     = {{The extreme polymorphism found at some major histocompatibility complex (MHC) loci is believed to be maintained by balancing selection caused by infectious pathogens. Experimental support for this is inconclusive. We have studied the interaction between certain MHC alleles and the bacterium Aeromonas salmonicida, which causes the severe disease furunculosis, in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.). We designed full-sibling broods consisting of combinations of homozygote and heterozygote genotypes with respect to resistance or susceptibility alleles. The juveniles were experimentally infected with A. salmonicida and their individual survival was monitored. By comparing full siblings carrying different MHC genotypes the effects on survival due to other segregating genes were minimized. We show that a pathogen has the potential to cause very intense selection pressure on particular MHC alleles; the relative fitness difference between individuals carrying different MHC alleles was as high as 0.5. A co-dominant pattern of disease resistance/susceptibility was found, indicative of qualitative difference in the immune response between individuals carrying the high- and low-resistance alleles. Rather unexpectedly, survival was not higher among heterozygous individuals as compared with homozygous ones.}},
  author       = {{Lohm, Jakob and Grahn, Mats and Langefors, Åsa and Andersen, O and Storset, A and von Schantz, Torbjörn}},
  issn         = {{1471-2954}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{1504}},
  pages        = {{2029--2033}},
  publisher    = {{Royal Society Publishing}},
  series       = {{Royal Society of London. Proceedings B. Biological Sciences}},
  title        = {{Experimental evidence for major histocompatibility complex-allele-specific resistance to a bacterial infection}},
  url          = {{https://lup.lub.lu.se/search/files/2686002/625053.pdf}},
  doi          = {{10.1098/rspb.2002.2114}},
  volume       = {{269}},
  year         = {{2002}},
}