ArticleProceedings. Biological sciences2009
Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) heterozygote superiority to natural multi-parasite infections in the water vole (Arvicola terrestris).
Article in Proceedings. Biological sciences, 2009. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 74 papers.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
74 citing papers in PubMed, 181 citations in OpenAlex.
- A global analysis of population differentiation at the major histocompatibility complex genes across tetrapods.Proceedings. Biological sciences · 2026Article
- Twenty years of tuberculosis-driven selection shaped the evolution of the meerkat major histocompatibility complex.Nature ecology & evolution · 2025Article
- Major histocompatibility complex class IIB disassortative mate choice in a genetically monogamous seabird.Proceedings. Biological sciences · 2025Article
- MHC Diversity Across Time and Space.Ecology and evolution · 2025Review
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- Putative SNPs in Ovar-DRB1 and GALNTL6 Genes Conferring Susceptibility to Natural Infection of Haemonchus Contortus in Southern Indian Sheep.Acta parasitologica · 2024Article
- Immunogenetic-pathogen networks shrink in Tome's spiny rat, a generalist rodent inhabiting disturbed landscapes.Communications biology · 2024Article
- Immunogenetics, sylvatic plague and its vectors: insights from the pathogen reservoir Mastomys natalensis in Tanzania.Immunogenetics · 2023Article
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- Long term patterns of association between MHC and helminth burdens in the bank vole support Red Queen dynamics.Molecular ecology · 2022Article
- Genomic consequences of a century of inbreeding and isolation in the Danish wild boar population.Evolutionary applications · 2022Article
- Selection and demography drive range-wide patterns of MHC-DRB variation in mule deer.BMC ecology and evolution · 2022Article
- Contemporary selection on MHC genes in a free-living ruminant population.Ecology letters · 2022Article
- Neutral and Selective Processes Shape MHC Diversity in Roe Deer in Slovenia.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2022Article
- Genetic diversity and disease: The past, present, and future of an old idea.Evolution; international journal of organic evolution · 2022Article
- Functional immunogenetic variation, rather than local adaptation, predicts ectoparasite infection intensity in a model fish species.Molecular ecology · 2021Article
- Heterozygosity of the major histocompatibility complex predicts later self-reported pubertal maturation in men.Scientific reports · 2021Article
- Predicting insect outbreaks using machine learning: A mountain pine beetle case study.Ecology and evolution · 2021Article
- Positive selection on the MHC class II DLA-DQA1 gene in golden jackals (Canis aureus) from their recent expansion range in Europe and its effect on their body mass index.BMC ecology and evolution · 2021Article
- Article
14 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The fundamental role of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) in immune recognition has led to a general consensus that the characteristically high levels of functional polymorphism at MHC genes is maintained by balancing selection operating through host-parasite coevolution. However, the actual mechanism by which selection operates is unclear. Two hypotheses have been proposed: overdominance (or heterozygote superiority) and negative frequency-dependent selection. Evidence for these hypotheses was evaluated by examining MHC-parasite relationships in an island population of water voles (Arvicola terrestris). Generalized linear mixed models were used to examine whether individual variation at an MHC class II DRB locus explained variation in the individual burdens of five different parasites. MHC genotype explained a significant amount of variation in the burden of gamasid mites, fleas (Megabothris walkeri) and nymphs of sheep ticks (Ixodes ricinus). Additionally, MHC heterozygotes were simultaneously co-infected by fewer parasite types than homozygotes. In each case where an MHC-dependent effect on parasite burden was resolved, the heterozygote genotype was associated with fewer parasites, and the heterozygote outperformed each homozygote in two of three cases, suggesting an overall superiority against parasitism for MHC heterozygote genotypes. This is the first demonstration of MHC heterozygote superiority against multiple parasites in a natural population, a mechanism that could help maintain high levels of functional MHC genetic diversity in natural populations.
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