Identification of MHCII Variants Associated with Chlamydial Disease in the Koala (Phascolarctos Cinereus)

Overview

Journal PeerJ

Specialties Biology
Environmental Health
General Medicine

Date 2014 Jul 16

PMID 25024912

Citations 19

Authors

Quintin Lau

Joanna E Griffith

Damien P Higgins

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Chlamydiosis, the most common infectious disease in koalas, can cause chronic urogenital tract fibrosis and infertility. High titres of serum immunoglobulin G against 10 kDa and 60 kDa chlamydial heat-shock proteins (c-hsp10 and c-hsp60) are associated with fibrous occlusion of the koala uterus and uterine tube. Murine and human studies have identified associations between specific major histocompatibility complex class II (MHCII) alleles or genotypes, and higher c-hsp 60 antibody levels or chlamydia-associated disease and infertility. In this study, we characterised partial MHCII DAB and DBB genes in female koalas (n = 94) from a single geographic population, and investigated associations among antibody responses to c-hsp60 quantified by ELISA, susceptibility to chlamydial infection, or age. The identification of three candidate MHCII variants provides additional support for the functional role of MHCII in the koala, and will inform more focused future studies. This is the first study to investigate an association between MHC genes with chlamydial pathogenesis in a non-model, free-ranging species.

Citing Articles

Koala MHCII association with chlamydia infertility remains equivocal: a need for new research approaches.

Kidd A, Casteriano A, Krockenberger M, Higgins D, Wright B Sci Rep. 2024; 14(1):31074.

PMID: 39730801 PMC: 11681110. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-82217-w.

Spatial variation in toll-like receptor diversity in koala populations across their geographic distribution.

Cui J, Batley K, Silver L, McLennan E, Hogg C, Belov K Immunogenetics. 2024; 77(1):5.

PMID: 39614880 PMC: 11608166. DOI: 10.1007/s00251-024-01365-5.

Using bioinformatics to investigate functional diversity: a case study of MHC diversity in koalas.

Silver L, McLennan E, Beaman J, da Silva K, Timms P, Hogg C Immunogenetics. 2024; 76(5-6):381-395.

PMID: 39367971 PMC: 11496358. DOI: 10.1007/s00251-024-01356-6.

Epidemiology, Transmission Mode, and Pathogenesis of Infection in Koalas (): An Overview.

Kayesh M, Hashem M, Tsukiyama-Kohara K Animals (Basel). 2024; 14(18).

PMID: 39335275 PMC: 11440102. DOI: 10.3390/ani14182686.

Plethora of New Marsupial Genomes Informs Our Knowledge of Marsupial MHC Class II.

Silver L, Hogg C, Belov K Genome Biol Evol. 2024; 16(8).

PMID: 39031605 PMC: 11305139. DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evae156.

References

Brouwer L, Barr I, van de Pol M, Burke T, Komdeur J, Richardson D . MHC-dependent survival in a wild population: evidence for hidden genetic benefits gained through extra-pair fertilizations. Mol Ecol. 2010; 19(16):3444-55. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-294X.2010.04750.x. View

Obendorf D . Causes of mortality and morbidity of wild koalas, Phascolarctos cinereus (Goldfuss), in Victoria, Australia. J Wildl Dis. 1983; 19(2):123-31. DOI: 10.7589/0090-3558-19.2.123. View

Belov K, Deakin J, Papenfuss A, Baker M, Melman S, Siddle H . Reconstructing an ancestral mammalian immune supercomplex from a marsupial major histocompatibility complex. PLoS Biol. 2006; 4(3):e46. PMC: 1351924. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.0040046. View

Belov K, Lam M, Colgan D . Marsupial MHC class II beta genes are not orthologous to the eutherian beta gene families. J Hered. 2004; 95(4):338-45. DOI: 10.1093/jhered/esh049. View

Toye B, Laferriere C, Claman P, Jessamine P, Peeling R . Association between antibody to the chlamydial heat-shock protein and tubal infertility. J Infect Dis. 1993; 168(5):1236-40. DOI: 10.1093/infdis/168.5.1236. View

Worley K, Collet J, Spurgin L, Cornwallis C, Pizzari T, Richardson D . MHC heterozygosity and survival in red junglefowl. Mol Ecol. 2010; 19(15):3064-75. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-294X.2010.04724.x. View

Cohen C, Gichui J, Rukaria R, Sinei S, Gaur L, Brunham R . Immunogenetic correlates for Chlamydia trachomatis-associated tubal infertility. Obstet Gynecol. 2003; 101(3):438-44. DOI: 10.1016/s0029-7844(02)03077-6. View

Lau Q, Jaratlerdsiri W, Griffith J, Gongora J, Higgins D . MHC class II diversity of koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) populations across their range. Heredity (Edinb). 2014; 113(4):287-96. PMC: 4181066. DOI: 10.1038/hdy.2014.30. View

Canfield P, Hemsley S, Connolly J . Histological and immunohistological study of the developing and involuting superficial cervical thymus in the koala (Phascolarctos cinereus). J Anat. 1996; 189 ( Pt 1):159-69. PMC: 1167838. View

10.

Beatty W, Byrne G, Morrison R . Repeated and persistent infection with Chlamydia and the development of chronic inflammation and disease. Trends Microbiol. 1994; 2(3):94-8. DOI: 10.1016/0966-842x(94)90542-8. View

11.

Maher I, Griffith J, Lau Q, Reeves T, Higgins D . Expression profiles of the immune genes CD4, CD8β, IFNγ, IL-4, IL-6 and IL-10 in mitogen-stimulated koala lymphocytes (Phascolarctos cinereus) by qRT-PCR. PeerJ. 2014; 2:e280. PMC: 3961157. DOI: 10.7717/peerj.280. View

12.

Griffith J, Dhand N, Krockenberger M, Higgins D . A retrospective study of admission trends of koalas to a rehabilitation facility over 30 years. J Wildl Dis. 2013; 49(1):18-28. DOI: 10.7589/2012-05-135. View

13.

Kinnunen A, Surcel H, Lehtinen M, Karhukorpi J, Tiitinen A, Halttunen M . HLA DQ alleles and interleukin-10 polymorphism associated with Chlamydia trachomatis-related tubal factor infertility: a case-control study. Hum Reprod. 2002; 17(8):2073-8. DOI: 10.1093/humrep/17.8.2073. View

14.

Girjes A, Ellis W, Carrick F, Lavin M . Some aspects of the immune response of koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) and in vitro neutralization of Chlamydia psittaci (koala strains). FEMS Immunol Med Microbiol. 1993; 6(1):21-30. DOI: 10.1111/j.1574-695X.1993.tb00299.x. View

15.

Siddle H, Deakin J, Coggill P, Hart E, Cheng Y, Wong E . MHC-linked and un-linked class I genes in the wallaby. BMC Genomics. 2009; 10:310. PMC: 2719672. DOI: 10.1186/1471-2164-10-310. View

16.

Lau Q, Canfield P, Higgins D . Expression and in vitro upregulation of MHCII in koala lymphocytes. Vet Immunol Immunopathol. 2012; 147(1-2):35-43. DOI: 10.1016/j.vetimm.2012.04.010. View

17.

Su H, Caldwell H . Immunogenicity of a chimeric peptide corresponding to T helper and B cell epitopes of the Chlamydia trachomatis major outer membrane protein. J Exp Med. 1992; 175(1):227-35. PMC: 2119084. DOI: 10.1084/jem.175.1.227. View

18.

Lau Q, Jobbins S, Belov K, Higgins D . Characterisation of four major histocompatibility complex class II genes of the koala (Phascolarctos cinereus). Immunogenetics. 2012; 65(1):37-46. DOI: 10.1007/s00251-012-0658-5. View

19.

Kalish R . Antigen processing: the gateway to the immune response. J Am Acad Dermatol. 1995; 32(4):640-52. DOI: 10.1016/0190-9622(95)90351-8. View

20.

Cohen C, Sinei S, Bukusi E, Bwayo J, Holmes K, Brunham R . Human leukocyte antigen class II DQ alleles associated with Chlamydia trachomatis tubal infertility. Obstet Gynecol. 2000; 95(1):72-7. DOI: 10.1016/s0029-7844(99)00541-4. View