engleski

MHC gene diversity in roe deer from Bjelovarsko- bilogorska county

Context: Genes of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) have been extensively used for estimation of genetic diversity in wild vertebrate populations on account of their extreme polymorphism and fundamental role in pathogen resistance. The roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) was the most abundant game species in Croatia, however, a decrease in population number was observed recently, which is probably multifactorial but coincides with the spread of Fascioloides magna in Croatia. Aims: In this study, we aimed to determine the degree of MHC allelic diversity in roe deer from Bjelovarsko-bilogorska county in order to evaluate the adaptation potential of this population. Methods: We amplified and sequenced 249 bp long fragment of MHC-DRB locus in 55 individuals by utilisation of Illumina MySeq technology. AmpliSAT integrated web tool was used for allele calling. Key results: Eight unique alleles were detected in 55 individuals. Previously acknowledged codon deletion was present in four alleles. The number of variable nucleotide positions was 22, nucleotide diversity was estimated at 0.04, and the average number of nucleotide differences at 10.6. The most common allele was Caca- DRB*0301 with a frequency of 42.7%. Detected alleles formed 18 different genotypes, the prevalent being Caca-DRB*0301/Caca-DRB*0303 which was found in 16.4% of individuals. A large number of individuals were heterozygous (83.6%). Conclusion: We detected moderate to high levels of genetic diversity in roe deer from Bjelovarsko-bilogorska county. A substantial proportion of heterozygotes detected in this study can potentially bring a selective advantage to the population. Implications: The assessment of adaptive genetic diversity can offer valuable clues regarding the population’s long-term survival prospects and will provide a basis for future association studies between MHC polymorphism and F. magna infection.

Major histocompatibility complex, Capreolus capreolus, NGS, immunogenetics

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