This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing theresources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject andinvestigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source,and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed isfor the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator.To understand differences in MHC genetics, especially since cynomolgus macaques are increasingly used for biodefense and AIDS research.We have recently discovered that cynomolgus macaques from different geographical locations have distinct major histocompatibility complex (MHC) genetics. In this project, we are defining the MHC genetics of cynomolgus macaques from five geographic origins, developing genetic tests, and defining peptide-binding motifs from common MHC alleles.This new subproject initiated in September 2005. Since the inception of this project, we have collected samples from Mauritian, Indonesian, Vietnamese, and Chinese cynomolgus macaques. We are using a combination of approaches to identify the MHC genes present in each population of monkeys. High-throughput DNA sequencing of selected animals identified the first MHC class I alleles in Indonesian cynomolgus macaques, as well as extending the length of previously identified allele sequences from Mauritian cynomolgus macaques. We now have a set of more than 60 MHC class I and class II alleles from Mauritian cynomolgus macaques, 40 MHC class I alleles from Indonesian cynomolgus macaques, and 30 MHC class I alleles from Filipino cynomolgus macaques.. Preliminary peptide binding motifs have been determined for five of these alleles by Edman degradation. We have also recently developed a microsatellite map of the MHC that works in both cynomolgus and rhesus macaques. We have also adapted a second MHC genetic assay, reference strand mediated conformational analysis (RSCA), to a new high throughput hardware platform, the ABI 3130. This research used WNPRC Animal Services, Immunology & Virology Services, and Genetics Services.
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