Abstract
Non-human primates are widely used in medical researches including development of vaccines against pathogens, because their immune system is similar to that in humans. In particular, the Old World monkeys such as rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) and cynomolgus macaques (crab-eating macaques, Macaca fascicularis) are useful models for human infectious diseases, especially for developing a strategy for vaccination against HIV, by using simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) infection as a model system. Because there are individual differences in immune responsiveness, which are controlled by the polymorphic nature of the major histocompatibility (MHC) locus, it is important to reveal the diversity of MHC in the model animal. We analyzed polymorphisms in Mhc class I loci in rhesus macaques (Mamu locus) from Myanmar (Burma) and Laos and cynomolgus macaques (Mafa locus) from Indonesia, Malaysia and Philippine to obtain genetic information about the role of Mhc class I diversity in the immune responsiveness. We found that each Mhc class I haplotype was composed of one to three Mamu-A or Mafa-A alleles and one to five Mamu-B or Mafa-B alleles. In addition, family studies revealed that there were three Mhc haplotypes carrying two Mhc-A1 alleles not only in rhesus but also in cynomolgus macaques. These observations further demonstrated the complexity of Mhc class I loci in the Old World monkeys.
