North Atlantic Right Whale MHC Allele and Pedigree Data

Genetic data from 222 North Atlantic right whale individuals characterizes adaptive variation in major histocompatibility complex (MHC) loci. Pedigree analysis of 81 parent/offspring pairs identified at least 11 class II DRB-like alleles, which segregate into 12 distinct haplotypes. The dataset also includes genotyping results revealing class II pseudogenes and class I loci from a subset of unrelated individuals.

Use Cases

• Analyze segregation patterns of Eugl-DRB1 and Eugl-DRB2 alleles across 81 parent/offspring pedigrees to infer haplotype structure.
• Assess evidence for balancing selection by examining nucleotide diversity at peptide binding sites within class II DRB-like gene sequences.
• Investigate trans-species allele sharing by comparing class I and class II MHC sequences from this dataset to those from related cetacean species.
• Model the relationship between identified MHC alleles and factors affecting health and reproduction in North Atlantic right whale populations.

Strengths

• Data is derived from a substantial sample of 222 individual North Atlantic right whales.
• Pedigree analysis is based on 81 parent/offspring relationships, enabling robust haplotype assignment.
• Identifies at least 11 class II alleles and evidence for at least 3 class I loci, providing a measure of MHC diversity.

Limitations

• The sample size for unrelated individuals used to identify class I loci and pseudogenes is small (n=5 and n=10).
• The dataset's focus on specific MHC loci means it does not provide a genome-wide genetic profile.
• Data is from a single study and may not represent the full geographic or temporal range of the species.

Provenance

Source

Roxanne M. Gillett via Dryad.

Collection Method

Genetic amplification and pedigree-based segregation analysis of MHC loci.

Freshness

Last updated in 2019.

Geography

North Atlantic right whale populations.