Structure and expression of class II alpha genes in miniature swine

• Published in: The Journal of immunology (1950) Vol. 149; no. 3; pp. 841 - 846
• Main Authors: Hirsch, F, Germana, S, Gustafsson, K, Pratt, K, Sachs, DH, Leguern, C
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Bethesda, MD Am Assoc Immnol 01.08.1992; American Association of Immunologists
• Subjects: Animals; Antigens; Base Sequence; Biological and medical sciences; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Fundamental immunology; Gene Expression; Genes, MHC Class II; Histocompatibility antigens (hla, h-2 and other systems); Major Histocompatibility Complex; Molecular immunology; Molecular Sequence Data; Restriction Mapping; RNA, Messenger - genetics; Sequence Alignment; Swine; Swine, Miniature - genetics; Transcription, Genetic; Transfection; Human; HLA-System; Nucleotide sequence; Gene expression; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Gene; Swine; Alpha-Peptide chain; Artiodactyla; Haplotype; Ungulata; Aminoacid sequence
• ISSN: 0022-1767; 1550-6606
• DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.149.3.841

Two overlapping genomic clones corresponding to the swine DRA class II gene were isolated and characterized. Restriction mapping and partial sequence data of the exon-containing fragments allowed identification and orientation of the five exons encoding the alpha chain. Two full length cDNA clones corresponding to the transcribed DRA gene from two different haplotypes of the swine MHC were sequenced. Nucleotide sequence alignments revealed that the two swine DRA cDNA were very similar and closely related to the human DRA equivalent. An additional glycosylation site, compared with those of human DRA, was found in the second external domain of the protein. Northern analyses showed that porcine DRA and DQA genes were the only two class II alpha genes expressed in the spleen, despite the presence of DPA and DZA genes in the genome. In addition to transfected cells expressing homologous pairs of alpha and beta chains from SLA-DR, stable transfectants expressing nonhomologous pairs of alpha and beta chains from DR and DQ loci were obtained, suggesting that such associations may contribute to the functional heterogeneity of class II products.