Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UNIPROT:Q3V6T2 (ape)
 2,133 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

All expressed human MHC class I genes (HLA-A, -B, -C, -E, -F, and -G) have functional orthologues in the MHC of the common chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes). In contrast, a nonclassical MHC class I gene discovered in the chimpanzee is not present in humans or the other African ape species. In exons and more so in introns, this Patr-AL gene is similar to the expressed A locus in the orangutan, Popy-A, suggesting they are orthologous. Patr-AL/Popy-A last shared a common ancestor with the classical MHC-A locus >20 million years ago. Population analysis revealed little Patr-AL polymorphism: just three allotypes differing only at residues 52 and 91. Patr-AL is expressed in PBMC and B cell lines, but at low level compared with classical MHC class I. The Patr-AL polypeptide is unusually basic, but its glycosylation, association with beta(2)-microglobulin, and antigenicity at the cell surface are like other MHC class I. No Patr-AL-mediated inhibition of polyclonal chimpanzee NK cells was detected. The Patr-AL gene is present in 50% of chimpanzee MHC haplotypes, correlating with presence of a 9.8-kb band in Southern blots. The flanking regions of Patr-AL contain repetitive/retroviral elements not flanking other class I genes. In sequenced HLA class I haplotypes, a similar element is present in the A*2901 haplotype but not the A*0201 or A*0301 haplotypes. This element, 6 kb downstream of A*2901, appears to be the relic of a human gene related to Patr-AL. Patr-AL has characteristics of a class I molecule of innate immunity with potential to provide common chimpanzees with responses unavailable to humans.
 ...
PMID:A novel, nonclassical MHC class I molecule specific to the common chimpanzee. 1156 3

Analysis of HLA restriction specificity is one of the important steps in characterizing T cell clones. This usually requires either a panel of HLA-typed cells or HLA cDNA transfectants. Although preparation of HLA cDNA transfectants is laborious, utilization of transfectants is advantageous when a suitable panel is not available due to linkage disequilibrium or rarity of the HLA allele of interest. In this report, we describe an efficient and rapid HLA cloning and expression system. Three sets of PCR primers specific for HLA-A, B and C loci were designed by extensively sequencing 5'- and 3'- untranslated regions of HLA class I genes. The PCR-amplified products were introduced into modified Phoenix retrovirus vectors containing a puromycin resistant gene under the control of a LTR promotor. Gibbon ape leukemia virus (GALV)-pseudotyped retrovirus was produced and infected into B-lymphoid cell lines. Following expansion in selection media, more than 80% of cells expressed transduced HLA at a comparable level to that normally expressed. These results indicate that locus-specific PCR cloning and utilization of GALV-pseudotyped retroviral vector can be an effective and relatively efficient tool for constructing a panel of different HLA transfectants.
 ...
PMID:Efficient cloning and expression of HLA class I cDNA in human B-lymphoblastoid cell lines. 1244 20

MHC haplotypes of humans and the African great ape species have one copy of the MHC-A, -B, and -C genes. In contrast, MHC haplotypes of orangutans, the Asian great ape species, exhibit variation in the number of gene copies. An in-depth analysis of the MHC class I gene repertoire in the two orangutan species, Pongo abelii and Pongo pygmaeus, is presented in this article. This analysis involved Sanger and next-generation sequencing methodologies, revealing diverse and complicated transcription profiles for orangutan MHC-A, -B, and -C. Thirty-five previously unreported MHC class I alleles are described. The data demonstrate that each orangutan MHC haplotype has one copy of the MHC-A gene, and that the MHC-B region has been subject to duplication, giving rise to at least three MHC-B genes. The MHC-B*03 and -B*08 lineages of alleles each account for a separate MHC-B gene. All MHC-B*08 allotypes have the C1-epitope motif recognized by killer cell Ig-like receptor. At least one other MHC-B gene is present, pointing to MHC-B alleles that are not B*03 or B*08. The MHC-C gene is present only on some haplotypes, and each MHC-C allotype has the C1-epitope. The transcription profiles demonstrate that MHC-A alleles are highly transcribed, whereas MHC-C alleles, when present, are transcribed at very low levels. The MHC-B alleles are transcribed to a variable extent and over a wide range. For those orangutan MHC class I allotypes that are detected by human monoclonal anti-HLA class I Abs, the level of cell-surface expression of proteins correlates with the level of transcription of the allele.
...
PMID:Complex MHC Class I Gene Transcription Profiles and Their Functional Impact in Orangutans. 2668 9