與其他動物相比,，蝌蚪更愛與自己的兄弟姐妹一道玩耍。那么它們究竟是如何選擇這些“親人”的呢,？
據(jù)美國《科學》雜志在線新聞報道,，非洲爪蛙的蝌蚪喜歡與同自己具有相同版本的主要組織相容性復(fù)合體（MHC）基因的同胞在一起。研究人員在最近的英國《皇家學會學報B》上報告了這一研究結(jié)果,。MHC基因?qū)τ谏锏拿庖呦到y(tǒng)是至關(guān)重要的,，并且參與了脊椎動物的親緣認知功能。在這項研究中,，研究人員對生活在相同環(huán)境中的同胞蝌蚪的基因進行了分析,，并發(fā)現(xiàn)這些兩棲動物能夠根據(jù)遺傳變異識別不同的MHC基因。（來源：科學時報 群芳）
生物谷推薦原始出處：
（Proceedings of The Royal Society B）,，10.1098/rspb.2008.0022,，Jandouwe Villinger, Bruce Waldman
Self-referent MHC type matching in frog tadpoles
Jandouwe Villinger1, Bruce Waldman1
1 School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch, New Zealand
摘要
Self/non-self recognition mechanisms underlie the development, immunology and social behaviour of virtually all living organisms, from bacteria to humans. Indeed, recognition processes lie at the core of how social cooperation evolved. Much evidence suggests that the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) both facilitates nepotistic interactions and promotes inbreeding avoidance. Social discrimination based on MHC differences has been demonstrated in many vertebrates but whether the labels used in discrimination are directly associated with the MHC, rather than with other genes with which it covaries, has remained problematic. Furthermore, effects of familiarity on natural preferences have not been controlled in most previous studies. Here we show that African clawed frog (Xenopus laevis) tadpoles discriminate among familiar full siblings based on MHC haplotype differences. Subjects (N=261) from four parental crosses preferred siblings with which they shared MHC haplotypes to those with no MHC haplotypes in common. Using only full siblings in experimental tests, we controlled for genetic variation elsewhere in the genome that might influence schooling preferences. As test subjects were equally familiar with stimulus groups, we conclude that tadpole discrimination involves a self-referent genetic recognition mechanism whereby individuals compare their own MHC type with those of conspecifics.
