Molecular cloning, organization, expression and 3D structural analysis of the MHC class Ia gene in the whitespotted bamboo shark (Chiloscyllium plagiosum)

Cartilaginous fishes are the oldest jawed vertebrates, from which the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) derived approximately 500 MYA; however, full-length genomic sequences for MHC genes in these species remain undescribed. This lack of basic information about MHC organization in cartilaginous fish is hindering investigations into the relationship between MHC polymorphism and disease, and leaves a large gap in our understanding of shark MHC evolution. Here, we obtained a complete 4887 bp genomic DNA of chplUAA (designated as chplUAA) from the whitespotted bamboo shark (Chiloscyllium plagiosum) using long PCR. The full-length cDNA sequence was 1385 bp, with a 1029 bp open reading frame (ORF) encoding 343 amino acids. Six unique sequences (chplUAA*01-06) were detected from 51 sequences from three samples. No more than two sequences were found in each individual, suggesting that only one UAA locus was amplified in each sample. Phylogenetic analysis supports monophyly of all available shark classical class Ia sequences.