Adaptive and neutral genetic differentiation among Scottish and endangered Irish red grouse (Lagopus lagopus scotica)

Meyer-Lucht, Yvonne; Mulder, Kevin P.; James, Marianne C.; McMahon, Barry J.; Buckley, Kieran; Piertney, Stuart B.; Höglund, Jacob

doi:10.1007/s10592-016-0810-0

Cited by 20 publications

(27 citation statements)

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“…These results suggest that the MHC II exon 2 locus is under diversifying selection and are in agreement with previous studies finding more differentiation in MHC than in neutral loci suggesting adaptation to local parasite faunas (e.g. [ 27 , 78 ]. However, earlier studies on differentiation at MHC loci show substantial heterogeneity.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

Drift, selection, or migration? Processes affecting genetic differentiation and variation along a latitudinal gradient in an amphibian

et al. 2017

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BackgroundPast events like fluctuations in population size and post-glacial colonization processes may influence the relative importance of genetic drift, migration and selection when determining the present day patterns of genetic variation. We disentangle how drift, selection and migration shape neutral and adaptive genetic variation in 12 moor frog populations along a 1700 km latitudinal gradient. We studied genetic differentiation and variation at a MHC exon II locus and a set of 18 microsatellites.ResultsUsing outlier analyses, we identified the MHC II exon 2 (corresponding to the β-2 domain) locus and one microsatellite locus (RCO8640) to be subject to diversifying selection, while five microsatellite loci showed signals of stabilizing selection among populations. STRUCTURE and DAPC analyses on the neutral microsatellites assigned populations to a northern and a southern cluster, reflecting two different post-glacial colonization routes found in previous studies. Genetic variation overall was lower in the northern cluster. The signature of selection on MHC exon II was weaker in the northern cluster, possibly as a consequence of smaller and more fragmented populations.ConclusionOur results show that historical demographic processes combined with selection and drift have led to a complex pattern of differentiation along the gradient where some loci are more divergent among populations than predicted from drift expectations due to diversifying selection, while other loci are more uniform among populations due to stabilizing selection. Importantly, both overall and MHC genetic variation are lower at northern latitudes. Due to lower evolutionary potential, the low genetic variation in northern populations may increase the risk of extinction when confronted with emerging pathogens and climate change.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12862-017-1022-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

Drift, selection, or migration? Processes affecting genetic differentiation and variation along a latitudinal gradient in an amphibian

et al. 2017

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“…Regardless of the mechanism involved, large discrepancies between positions of positively selected residues in birds and human PBRs suggest that using the human classification of PBRs to assess selection patterns at the avian MHC may not be justified in general, although there are likely some exceptions (e.g., Silva and Edwards ; Meyer‐Lucht et al. ). Despite moderate consistency in the positions of positively selected residues among different bird families, we suggest that our global analysis of selection at the MHC of passerine and non‐passerine birds may provide a good starting point of where to search for diversifying selection at the avian MHC.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A global analysis of selection at the avian MHC

et al. 2018

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Recent advancements in sequencing technology have resulted in rapid progress in the study of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) in non-model avian species. Here, we analyze a global dataset of avian MHC class I and class II sequences (ca. 11,000 sequences from over 250 species) to gain insight into the processes that govern macroevolution of MHC genes in birds. Analysis of substitution rates revealed striking differences in the patterns of diversifying selection between passerine and non-passerine birds. Non-passerines showed stronger selection at MHC class II, which is primarily involved in recognition of extracellular pathogens, while passerines showed stronger selection at MHC class I, which is involved in recognition of intracellular pathogens. Positions of positively selected amino-acid residues showed marked discrepancies with peptide-binding residues (PBRs) of human MHC molecules, suggesting that using a human classification of PBRs to assess selection patterns at the avian MHC may be unjustified. Finally, our analysis provided evidence that indel mutations can make a substantial contribution to adaptive variation at the avian MHC.

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“…These processes can increase or decrease genetic variation and explain the observed patterns of current genetic variation in nature (Hedrick 1998). Several studies have found that MHC II exon 2 can be under divergent selection among different populations, suggesting adaptation to differences in the local parasite fauna (e.g., Ekblom et al 2007; Meyer-Lucht et al 2016). Others have found patterns indicating long-term balancing selection maintaining trans-species polymorphism (e.g., Vlček et al 2016).…”

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Signatures of historical selection on MHC reveal different selection patterns in the moor frog (Rana arvalis)

et al. 2018

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MHC genes are key components in disease resistance and an excellent system for studying selection acting on genetic variation in natural populations. Current patterns of variation in MHC genes are likely to be influenced by past and ongoing selection as well as demographic fluctuations in population size such as those imposed by post-glacial recolonization processes. Here, we investigated signatures of historical selection and demography on an MHC class II gene in 12 moor frog populations along a 1700-km latitudinal gradient. Sequences were obtained from 207 individuals and consecutively assigned into two different clusters (northern and southern clusters, respectively) in concordance with a previously described dual post-glacial colonization route. Selection analyses comparing the relative rates of non-synonymous to synonymous substitutions (dN/dS) suggested evidence of different selection patterns in the northern and the southern clusters, with divergent selection prevailing in the south but uniform positive selection predominating in the north. Also, models of codon evolution revealed considerable differences in the strength of selection: The southern cluster appeared to be under strong selection while the northern cluster showed moderate signs of selection. Our results indicate that the MHC alleles in the north diverged from southern MHC alleles as a result of differential selection patterns.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1007/s00251-017-1051-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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Adaptive and neutral genetic differentiation among Scottish and endangered Irish red grouse (Lagopus lagopus scotica)

Cited by 20 publications

References 82 publications

Drift, selection, or migration? Processes affecting genetic differentiation and variation along a latitudinal gradient in an amphibian

Drift, selection, or migration? Processes affecting genetic differentiation and variation along a latitudinal gradient in an amphibian

A global analysis of selection at the avian MHC

Signatures of historical selection on MHC reveal different selection patterns in the moor frog (Rana arvalis)

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