2022 article
Transcriptome annotation reveals minimal immunogenetic diversity among Wyoming toads, Anaxyrus baxteri
Carlson, K. B., Wcisel, D. J., Ackerman, H. D., Romanet, J., Christiansen, E. F., Niemuth, J. N., … Yoder, J. A. (2022, April 28). CONSERVATION GENETICS.
author keywords: Amphibian; Bufonidae; Immunogenetics; MHC; TLR; Transcriptomics
TL;DR:
Comparison transcriptomics is used to examine the diversity of toll-like receptors and major histocompatibility complex sequences across three individual Wyoming toads and finds reduced diversity at MHC genes compared to bufonid species with a similar history of bottleneck events.
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open access via doi.org (repository)
UN Sustainable Development Goal Categories
15. Life on Land
(Web of Science; OpenAlex)
Source: Web Of Science
Added: May 10, 2022
Briefly considered extinct in the wild, the future of the Wyoming toad (Anaxyrus baxteri) continues to rely on captive breeding to supplement the wild population. Given its small natural geographic range and history of rapid population decline at least partly due to fungal disease, investigation of the diversity of key receptor families involved in the host immune response represents an important conservation need. Population decline may have reduced immunogenetic diversity sufficiently to increase the vulnerability of the species to infectious diseases. Here we use comparative transcriptomics to examine the diversity of toll-like receptors and major histocompatibility complex (MHC) sequences across three individual Wyoming toads. We find reduced diversity at MHC genes compared to bufonid species with a similar history of bottleneck events. Our data provide a foundation for future studies that seek to evaluate the genetic diversity of Wyoming toads, identify biomarkers for infectious disease outcomes, and guide breeding strategies to increase genomic variability and wild release successes.