% pubman genre = article @article{item_2564475, title = {{Discovery of gorilla MHC-C expressing C1 ligand for KIR}}, author = {Hans, J{\"o}rg B. and Vigilant, Linda}, language = {eng}, issn = {0093-7711, 1432-1211}, doi = {10.1007/s00251-017-1038-y}, publisher = {Springer}, address = {Berlin [u.a.]}, year = {2018}, date = {2018-05}, abstract = {{In comparison to humans and chimpanzees, gorillas show low diversity at MHC class I genes (Gogo), as reflected by an overall reduced level of allelic variation as well as the absence of a functionally important sequence motif that interacts with killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIR). Here, we use recently generated large-scale genomic sequence data for a reassessment of allelic diversity at Gogo-C, the gorilla orthologue of HLA-C. Through the combination of long-range amplifications and long-read sequencing technology, we obtained, among the 35 gorillas reanalyzed, three novel full-length genomic sequences including a coding region sequence that has not been previously described. The newly identified Gogo-C{\textasteriskcentered}03:01 allele has a divergent recombinant structure that sets it apart from other Gogo-C alleles. Domain-by-domain phylogenetic analysis shows that Gogo-C{\textasteriskcentered}03:01 has segments in common with Gogo-B{\textasteriskcentered}07, the additional B-like gene that is present on some gorilla MHC haplotypes. Identified in {\textasciitilde} 50{\textpercent} of the gorillas analyzed, the Gogo-C{\textasteriskcentered}03:01 allele exclusively encodes the C1 epitope among Gogo-C allotypes, indicating its important function in controlling natural killer cell (NK cell) responses via KIR. We further explored the hypothesis whether gorillas experienced a selective sweep which may have resulted in a general reduction of the gorilla MHC class I repertoire. Our results provide little support for a selective sweep but rather suggest that the overall low Gogo class I diversity can be best explained by drastic demographic changes gorillas experienced in the ancient and recent past.}}, journal = {{Immunogenetics}}, volume = {70}, number = {5}, pages = {293--304}, }