Characterization of the peripheral blood transcriptome and adaptive evolution of the MHC I and TLR gene families in the wolf (Canis lupus) ...

• Main Authors: Liu, Guangshuai, Zhang, Honghai, Sun, Guolei, Zhao, Chao, Shang, Shuai, Gao, Xiaodong, Xia, Tian, Yang, Xiufeng
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: figshare 2017
• Subjects: Microbiology; FOS Biological sciences; Genetics; Evolutionary Biology; Environmental Sciences not elsewhere classified; Ecology; Immunology; FOS Clinical medicine; Biological Sciences not elsewhere classified; Cancer; Infectious Diseases; FOS Health sciences; Canis lupus
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.3845752; https://springernature.figshare.com/collections/Characterization_of_the_peripheral_blood_transcriptome_and_adaptive_evolution_of_the_MHC_I_and_TLR_gene_families_in_the_wolf_Canis_lupus_/3845752

Abstract Background The wolf (Canis lupus) is one of the most widely distributed terrestrial mammals, because it is well adapted to various ecological niches and their corresponding pathogen environments. Immunological competence is a crucial factor involved in adapting to a changing environment and fighting pathogen infection in animals. In this study, the peripheral blood transcriptome of wolves was generated via RNA-seq to advance understanding of the wolf immunome, with a special focus on the major histocompatibility complex class I (MHC I) and toll-like receptor (TLR) gene families, which are involved in pathogen recognition and defense. Results The blood transcriptomic libraries of eight wolves originating from Tibet and Inner Mongolia were sequenced, and approximately 383 million reads were generated. Using a genome-guided assembly strategy, we obtained 123,851 unigenes, with a mean length of 845 bp and an N50 length of 1121 bp. On the basis of BLAST searches against the NCBI non-redundant protein ...