Pablo Sandro Carvalho Santos

New evidence that the MHC influences odor perception in humans: a study with 58 Southern Brazilian students

Increasing evidence suggests a correlation between mate choice, odor preference, and genetic similarity at the Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) in a variety of animals, including our species. The MHC is a highly polymorphic group of genes that play an important role in the immunological self/nonself recognition. Its products have been reported to take part on the variety of compounds and reactions that together build an individuals body odor. It has been suggested, therefore, that animals use body odor as a guide to identify possible mates as MHC-similar or MHC-dissimilar from their own genotype. Preference for a MHC-dissimilar partner enhances MHC heterozygosity of an individuals offspring. The possible adaptive advantages are clear: it is a mechanism of avoiding inbreeding and MHC-heterozygous offspring may have enhanced immunocompetence. The aim of this study was to search, in our species, new evidence on the correlation between specificities at HLA-A and HLA-B and assessments of pleasantness regarding specific body odors. HLA is the name for the human MHC. Four olfactory sessions were performed with 58 young Southern Brazilian students, in order to investigate whether assessments of pleasantness of body odors from individuals correlate to a persons HLA phenotype. Body odors were collected via sweat and urine from all participants. Women smelled and scored all male odor samples and men did the same with all female samples. We found a significant correlation only when female smellers evaluated male sweat odors.

Genomic architecture of MHC-linked odorant receptor gene repertoires among 16 vertebrate species

The recent sequencing and assembly of the genomes of different organisms have shown that almost all vertebrates studied in detail so far have one or more clusters of genes encoding odorant receptors (OR) in close physical linkage to the major histocompatibility complex (MHC). It has been postulated that MHC-linked OR genes could be involved in MHC-influenced mate choice, comprising both pre- as well as post-copulatory mechanisms. We have therefore carried out a systematic comparison of protein sequences of these receptors from the genomes of man, chimpanzee, gorilla, orangutan, rhesus macaque, mouse, rat, dog, cat, cow, pig, horse, elephant, opossum, frog and zebra fish (amounting to a total of 559 protein sequences) in order to identify OR families exhibiting evolutionarily conserved MHC linkage. In addition, we compared the genomic structure of this region within these 16 species, accounting for presence or absence of OR gene families, gene order, transcriptional orientation and linkage to the MHC or framework genes. The results are presented in the form of gene maps and phylogenetic analyses that reveal largely concordant repertoires of gene families, at least among tetrapods, although each of the eight taxa studied (primates, rodents, ungulates, carnivores, proboscids, marsupials, amphibians and teleosts) exhibits a typical architecture of MHC (or MHC framework loci)-linked OR genes. Furthermore, the comparison of the genomic organization of this region has implications for phylogenetic relationships between closely related taxa, especially in disputed cases such as the evolutionary history of even- and odd-toed ungulates and carnivores. Finally, the largely conserved linkage between distinct OR genes and the MHC supports the concept that particular alleles within a given haplotype function in a concerted fashion during self-/non-self-discrimination processes in reproduction.

Variation and linkage disequilibrium within odorant receptor gene clusters linked to the human major histocompatibility complex

Odorant receptors (OR) are G-protein-coupled receptors that are predominantly expressed in the membrane of olfactory neurons. Members of the two OR gene clusters on the short arm of human chromosome 6 could be involved in major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-associated behavioral traits, such as olfaction-influenced mate selection and cryptic female choice. In this context, OR gene polymorphisms and haplotypes are likely to play an important role. Here we report an investigation of polymorphisms within 12 MHC-linked OR genes in 10 human cell lines. Eight of these OR loci belong to the telomeric, smaller OR gene cluster, whereas four are located centromeric, between the first cluster and the MHC. We also assessed part of this genomic region using sequence data from eight additional cell lines that had previously been sequenced. Thirteen novel OR variants were found through direct DNA sequencing and cloning, in addition to the detection of OR polymorphisms already known, and the number of OR cluster haplotypes could be increased to 21. Two loci belonging to the telomeric cluster (OR2B8P and OR1F12) were found to exhibit nonfunctional and potentially functional alleles and should therefore be considered as segregating pseudogenes. The results provide a detailed picture regarding polymorphisms and phenotypic variation in an ethnically diverse sample of major histocompatibility complex-linked OR clusters and identify a subregion of unusually pronounced genetic variability. We expand these data by analyzing linkage disequilibrium both within these OR clusters as well as between them and the HLA complex in 11 unrelated HapMap populations. The sequence data described in this paper have been submitted to the GenBank database under the accession numbers GU251059, GU251060, GU251061, GU251062, GU251063, GU251064, GU251065, GU251066, GU251067, GU251068, GU251069, GU251070, GU251071, and GU251072.

Assessment of transmission distortion on chromosome 6p in healthy individuals using tagSNPs.

The best-documented example for transmission distortion (TD) to normal offspring are the t haplotypes on mouse chromosome 17. In healthy humans, TD has been described for whole chromosomes and for particular loci, but multiple comparisons have presented a statistical obstacle in wide-ranging analyses. Here we provide six high-resolution TD maps of the short arm of human chromosome 6 (Hsa6p), based on single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) data from 60 trio families belonging to two ethnicities that are available through the International HapMap Project. We tested all approximately 70 000 previously genotyped SNPs within Hsa6p by the transmission disequilibrium test. TagSNP selection followed by permutation testing was performed to adjust for multiple testing. A statistically significant evidence for TD was observed among male parents of European ancestry, due to strong and wide-ranging skewed segregation in a 730 kb long region containing the transcription factor-encoding genes SUPT3H and RUNX2, as well as the microRNA locus MIRN586. We also observed that this chromosomal segment coincides with pronounced linkage disequilibrium (LD), suggesting a relationship between TD and LD. The fact that TD may be taking place in samples not selected for a genetic disease implies that linkage studies must be assessed with particular caution in chromosomal segments with evidence of TD.

MHC-dependent mate choice is linked to a trace-amine-associated receptor gene in a mammal

Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) genes play a pivotal role in vertebrate self/nonself recognition, parasite resistance and life history decisions. In evolutionary terms, the MHC’s exceptional diversity is likely maintained by sexual and pathogen-driven selection. Even though MHC-dependent mating preferences have been confirmed for many species, the sensory and genetic mechanisms underlying mate recognition remain cryptic. Since olfaction is crucial for social communication in vertebrates, variation in chemosensory receptor genes could explain MHC-dependent mating patterns. Here, we investigated whether female mate choice is based on MHC alleles and linked to variation in chemosensory trace amine-associated receptors (TAARs) in the greater sac-winged bat (Saccopteryx bilineata). We sequenced several MHC and TAAR genes and related their variation to mating and paternity data. We found strong evidence for MHC class I-dependent female choice for genetically diverse and dissimilar males. We also detected a significant interaction between mate choice and the female TAAR3 genotype, with TAAR3-heterozygous females being more likely to choose MHC-diverse males. These results suggest that TAARs and olfactory cues may be key mediators in mammalian MHC-dependent mate choice. Our study may help identify the ligands involved in the chemical communication between potential mates.

MHC microsatellites in a Southern Brazilian population

Microsatellites are short tandem repeats of 1–6 bp DNA fragments, which are found throughout the genome. Due to their high levels of polymorphism, many of them are used as markers for population studies. Here we report an investigation on four microsatellites (D6S273, D6S2792, STR_MICA and D6S2810) located within the major histocompatibility complex in a sample of 281 Southern Brazilians of European ancestry. Allelic and haplotypic frequencies are described, as well as linkage disequilibrium (LD) between alleles of these microsatellites and alleles of three HLA genes: HLA‐B, HLA‐DRB1 and HLA‐DQB1. The most polymorphic microsatellite was D6S2810, located close to the HLA‐B locus. Strong LD was observed between alleles of microsatellites and HLA genes. The strongest associations occurred among STR_MICA*A5.1–HLA‐B*13, STR_MICA*A6–HLA‐B*49, STR_MICA*A9–HLA‐B*39, STR_MICA*A9–HLAB*57, D6S2810*334–HLA‐B*14, D6S2810*334–HLA‐B*38, STR_MICA*A5.1–HLA‐DRB1*1501–HLA‐DQB1*0602 and D6S2810*344–HLA‐DRB1*0411–HLA‐DQB1*0302. This study contributes with important information on HLA haplotypes, and is potentially useful in resolving cases of low resolution HLA genotyping ambiguities.

Sistema LIGH: disponibilizar para o Redome em tempo real as informações do doador voluntário de medula óssea

The situation of the Brazilian Bone Marrow Donor Program (Redome) faces several difficulties. It is necessary to increase the number of volunteer donors and also optimize the research and the communications between all the institutions involved. Information of the Brazilian bone marrow donors undergoes many steps before its registration in Redome, which demands too much time. Moreover, all the process is susceptible to human error, privacy problems and high costs. The staff of the Immunogenetics and Histocompatibility Laboratory (LIGH) of the Genetics Department of the Federal University of Parana proposes a solution that is already functioning within the state. The software called Sistema LIGH is an Internet based database that can be easily accessed by any computer with

Absence of strong linkage disequilibrium between odorant receptor alleles and the major histocompatibility complex.

The odorant receptor (OR) genes constitute the largest gene family among vertebrates. While over 800 loci are present in the human genome, their allele diversity is still poorly characterized. It has been hypothesized that the products of OR genes can be relevant in the reproductive context, thereby interacting with products of genes of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC). Here we investigated the genetic diversity of the OR2W6P, OR2B8P, OR1F12 and OR12D2 genes, in order to define haplotypes and haplotype frequencies. We measured levels of linkage disequilibrium (LD) between these OR genes and the MHC genes HLA-A, HLA-B and HLA-DRB1. This was accomplished through the assessment of 30 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in samples from 61 family trios. We characterized 26 alleles among the four OR genes and identified three SNPs that had not yet been reported. Based on our haplotype analysis, LD spanning the OR-HLA region is not very strong, and therefore not enough to enable selection regarding specific HLA-OR haplotypes.