Background: Knowledge of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) composition and distribution in rhesus macaque colonies is critical for management strategies that maximize the utility of this model for biomedical research.
Methods: Variation within the Mamu-A and Mamu-B (class I) and DRB, DQA/B, and DPA/B (class II) regions of 379 animals from the Caribbean Primate Research Center's (CPRC) specific pathogen free (SPF) colony was examined using massively parallel sequencing.
Results: Analyses of the 7 MHC loci revealed a background of Indian origin with high levels of variation despite past genetic bottlenecks. All loci exhibited mutual linkage disequilibria while conforming to Hardy-Weinberg expectations suggesting the achievement of mutation-selection balance.
Conclusion: The CPRC's SPF colony is a significant resource for research on AIDS and other infectious agents. Characterizing colony-wide MHC variability facilitates the breeding and selection of animals bearing desired haplotypes and increases the investigator's ability to understand the immune responses mounted by these animals.
Keywords: Mamu haplotypes; colony genetic structure; genetic management; major histocompatibility complex genotyping; next generation sequence.
© 2018 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.