Variation in the Yak Dectin-1 Gene ( CLEC7A )

Abstract

C-type lectin domain family 7, member A (CLEC7A, dectin-1) plays an important role in antifungal immunity and belongs to the family of C-type lectin receptors. Variation in the extended exon 4–6 region of the yak dectin-1 gene (CLEC7A), which encodes the β-glucan recognition domain, was investigated using polymerase chain reaction–single strand conformational polymorphism (PCR-SSCP). Three and two variant sequences were identified in exons 4 and 5, respectively, and no variation was found in exon 6. The variation included two single-nucleotide substitutions in exon 4 and one single-nucleotide polymorphism in exon 5, and two of these substitutions would nominally cause amino acid substitutions (p.I158T and p.S197G) in yak dectin-1. This is the first report identifying the yak dectin-1 gene, revealing that it is polymorphic and this polymorphism might affect the structure and function of this gene in yak.