Variation in the Major Histocompatibility Gene is Maintained By Selection Imposed By Infectious Disease.

Major Histocompatibility (MH) genes play critical roles in mounting adaptive immune responses to infectious diseases and parasites. There are two classes of MH genes: Class I and II; Class II can be further divided into Class II A and II B genes, this study focuses on Class IIB. Class II B genes are exceptionally variable in sequence. Leading hypotheses propose that this genetic variation is maintained by selection for resistance to pathogens. Since pathogens are constantly evolving to avoid detection, and new pathogens regularly enter populations, which MH proteins confer immunity fluctuates over time.
This study examines MH Class II B in Centropomus undecimalis, the common Snook. Genes will be sequenced, and their variability quantified using approaches that include: database searches (NCBI), PCR, and sequencing. Sequencing of the MH gene will provide insight on how high polymorphism results from immune responses to infectious pathogens.