MHC Variability in an Isolated Wolf Population in Italy

摘要: Small, isolated populations may experience increased extinction risk due to reduced genetic variability at important functional genes, thus decreasing the population’s adaptive potential. The major histocompatibility complex (MHC), a key immunological gene cluster, usually shows high maintained by positive or balancing selection in response challenges pathogens. Here we investigated for first time, of 3 MHC class II genes (DRB1, DQA1, and DQB1) 94 samples collected from Italian wolves. wolf population has been long south Alps is presently recovering recent bottleneck that decreased less than 100 individuals. Despite bottleneck, wolves show remarkable with 6–9 alleles per locus, including 2 recently described DRB1. sequences signatures historical selective pressures (high d N /d S ratio, ω > 1.74) but no evidence ongoing selection. Variation 12 background microsatellite loci were not apparently affected bottleneck. Although domestic dog origin detected 8 genetically admixed individuals, these rare absent nonadmixed Thus, despite known hybridization events between dogs wolves, does appear deep introgression alleles.