Molecular Cloning of Bottle-Nosed Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) MHC Class I cDNA

Abstract

Using polymerase chain reaction, bottle-nosed dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) major histocompatibility complex (DoLA) class Ia chain cDNA was cloned and sequenced. Predicted amino acid sequences of DoLA class Iα chain have cystein residues for intradomain disulfide bond formation and N-linked glycosylation sites, suggesting that DoLA class Iα chain molecules construct α1, α2, and α3 domain structures. Similarity of DoLA class Iα chain cDNA to land mammal MHC class Iα chain cDNA was 90.4% in cattle, 90.2% in horse, 89.4% in sheep, and 87.8% in human. This investigation suggests that DoLA is closely related to land mammals.