Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 23, 2026

Stability and Structure of Bat Major Histocompatibility Complex Class I with Heterologous β2-Microglobulin
Published on: March 10, 2021
Conserved MHC gene orthologs genetically map to the turkey MHC- B
Kent M Reed1, Benjamin Benoit, Xiong Wang
1Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minn., USA.
Abstract:
The avian MHC-associated gene set includes orthologs to genes found throughout the human major histocompatibility complex (MHC), including some loci of the evolutionarily conserved class III region. In the turkey and other Galliformes, genes linked to the MHC have been identified because they are closely associated with class I or class II genes. This study was designed to evaluate additional class III genes for linkage to the avian MHC to further determine conservation of these loci in birds. BLAST searches were used to locate sequences in the turkey genome with similarity to genes shared between the MHC of Xenopus and humans. Primers were designed to target 25 genes, and putative orthologs were amplified by PCR and sequenced. Sequence polymorphisms were identified for 15 genes in turkey reference mapping families, and 8 genes showed significant genetic linkage to the turkey MHC-B locus. These new genetic markers and linkage relationships broaden our understanding of the composition of the avian MHC and expand the gene content for the turkey MHC-B.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Multi-species Conserved Sequences
Although the genome of each species varies greatly from each other, a few sequences are highly conserved. Such conserved...
Antigens Involved in Adaptive Immunity
Complete Antigens
Complete antigens possess both immunogenicity and...
Antigen Processing Pathways
MHC Class I: Presenting Endogenous...
Synteny and Evolution
Around 80 million years ago, the human and mice lineages diverged from the common ancestor. During the course of evolution, the ancestral...
Tissue Transplantation
The Biology of Tissue Transplantation
The biology of tissue transplantation hinges on the Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) molecules. These molecules...

