Immunogenetics of Antarctic pack ice seals in the Ross Sea

This data set consists of 518 tissue samples obtained from four species of
Antarctic pack ice phocid pinnipeds (Weddell seal, Leptonychotes weddellii;
crabeater seal, Lobodon carcinophaga; Ross seal, Ommatophoca rossii; leopard
seal, Hydrurga leptonyx) collected during a research cruise in the Ross Sea
aboard the NSF Icebreaker "Nathaniel B. Palmer" from December 1999 through
February 2000.

The objective of the study was to document the patterns of molecular genetic
variability at important immune system loci (major histocompatibility complex =
MHC) in the four phocid pinnipeds that live in the Ross Sea. A basic
description of the multi-disciplinary cruise that supported this research was
published as:

Ackley, S. F., J. L. Bengtson, P. Boveng, M. Castellini, K. L. Daly, S. Jacobs,
G. L. Kooyman, J. Laake, L. Quetin, R. Ross, D. B. Siniff, B. S. Stewart, I.
Stirling, J. Torres, P. K. Yochem. 2003. A top-down, multidisciplinary study
of the structure and function of the pack-ice ecosystem in the eastern Ross
Sea, Antarctica. Polar Record 39: 219-230.

Results of studies supported by this NSF grant of the immunogenetics of
Antarctic phocid pinnipeds have been published as:

Decker, D. J., B. S. Stewart, N. Lehman. 2002. Major histocompatibility
complex class II DOA sequences from three Antarctic seal species verify
stabilizing selection on the DO locus. Tissue Antigens 60:534-538.

Weber, D. S., B. S. Stewart, J. Schienman, and N. Lehman. 2004. Major
histocompatiblity complex variation at three class II loci in the northern
elephant seal. Molecular Ecology 13:711-718.

Lehman, N., D. J. Decker, and B. S. Stewart. 2004. Divergent patterns of major
histocompatibility complex class II variation in four species of Antarctic
phocid pinnipeds. Journal of Mammalogy 85(6):

Soll, S. J., B. S. Stewart, and N. Lehman. In Press. Conservation of MHC Class
II DOA sequences among carnivores. Tissue Antigens.

Stewart, B. S. 2003. The pack ice nice of Weddell seals in the Ross Sea. In:
Antarctic Biology in a Global Context. pp. 224-228. A. H. L. Huiskies, W. W.
C. Gieskes, J. Rozema, R. M. L. Schorno, S. M. van der Vies & W. J. Wolff.
Backhuys Publishers, Leiden, The Netherlands.

The relevant gene sequences have also been submitted to and published by
GenBank and accession numbers are indicated in the publications above.