Data from: MHC diversity, malaria and lifetime reproductive success in collared flycatchers

Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) genes encode proteins involved in the recognition of parasite-derived antigens. Their extreme polymorphism is presumed to be driven by coevolution with parasites. Host-parasite coevolution was also hypothesised to optimize within-individual MHC diversity at the intermediate level. Here, we use unique data on lifetime reproductive success (LRS) of female collared flycatchers to test whether LRS is associated with within-individual MHC class II diversity. We also examined the association between MHC and infection with avian malaria. Using 454 sequencing, we found that individual flycatchers carry between 3 and 23 functional MHC class II B alleles. Predictions of the optimality hypothesis were not confirmed by our data as the prevalence of blood parasites decreased with functional MHC diversity. Furthermore, we did not find evidence for an association between MHC diversity and LRS.

主要组织相容性复合体（Major Histocompatibility Complex, MHC）基因可编码参与识别寄生虫源性抗原的蛋白质。该类基因的极端多态性被认为源于与寄生虫的协同进化。另有假说提出，宿主-寄生虫协同进化可将个体内的MHC多样性优化至中等水平。本研究借助雌性领姬鹟的终生繁殖成功率（lifetime reproductive success, LRS）这一独特数据集，检验个体终生繁殖成功率是否与个体内MHC II类基因多样性存在关联。同时，我们还探究了MHC与鸟型疟疾感染之间的相关性。通过454测序（454 sequencing）技术，我们发现单个领姬鹟个体携带3至23个功能性MHC II类B等位基因。本研究数据并未验证最优性假说的相关预测——血液寄生虫的感染率随功能性MHC多样性的升高而降低。此外，我们未发现MHC多样性与终生繁殖成功率之间存在关联的证据。