Class II major histocompatibility complex genes of the sheep

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Summary. The class II genes of the sheep major histocompatibility complex (MHC) have been cloned from two unrelated heterozygous sheep into cosmid vectors. By restriction mapping and hybridization with a number of class II probes of human and mouse origin, the cloned genetic material has been assigned to seven distinct α genes, 10 distinct ß genes and 14ß‐related sequences. It was difficult to identify homologues of specific HLA class II genes because of a tendency for the ovine genes to cross‐hybridize between HLA probes representing different loci. Such cross‐hybridization was especially marked among the ß genes. While DQ and DR homologues have been tentatively identified by several criteria, no genes corresponding to DP have been identified. Cosmids containing class II α and ß genes have been transfected into mouse LTK‐ cells, and surface expression of a sheep class II molecule has been obtained.