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Functional genetic diversity and pathogen resistance in blacktailed prairie dogs

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Title: Functional genetic diversity and pathogen resistance in blacktailed prairie dogs


1
Functional genetic diversityand pathogen
resistancein black-tailed prairie dogs
Genes, germs, and prairie dogs
  • Liz Harp
  • Colorado State University
  • Graduate Degree Program in Ecology
  • AAVP Meeting July 2008

2
Objective
  • Compare parasite species richness and numbers of
    parasites to genetic diversity in 4 immune system
    genes and 10 microsatellite loci in black-tailed
    prairie dogs
  • Use this information to
  • Identify relationships between immunogenetic
    diversity and parasite numbers and diversity
  • Compare neutral vs. functional genetic markers
    for use in conservation management

3
Motivation and brief background parasites
  • Parasites are important in wildlife conservation
  • Rarely cause extinction directly, but
  • May help maintain genetic variation
  • Parasites are rarely considered inwildlife
    conservation plans unless they are obviously
    impacting a population

4
Motivation and brief background genetics
  • Conservation genetic markers typically neutral
  • Microsatellites, SNPs (good for population
    genetics)
  • Functional markers might be better for monitoring
    populations breeding programs
  • Immune system genes,
  • Lots of recent research with MHC diversity
  • But what about other functional genetic markers?

Major Histocompatibility Complex An important
part of the adaptive immune system More on this
later
5
Motivation and brief background prairie dogs
  • Social burrowing rodents in the squirrel family
  • Abundant in eastern Colorado
  • Plague outbreaks are common
  • They have a lot of parasites, sort of
  • Five prairie dog species
  • One threatened, one endangered,others frequently
    petitioned for listing

6
Black-tailed prairie dog parasites(a subsample)
  • Ectoparasites
  • Oropsylla hirsuta
  • Oropsylla tuberculata
  • Pulex simulans
  • Thrassis fotus
  • Ornithodoros turicata
  • Gastrointestinal parasites
  • Eimeria (4 species expected)
  • Giardia
  • Cryptosporidium
  • Microparasites (antibodies)
  • Yersinia pestis (gram negative bacterium)
  • West Nile Virus (single stranded RNA virus)

7
Eimeria recorded from black-tailed prairie dogs
  • E. beecheyi (Casper, WY)
  • E. callospermophili (Casper, WY)
  • E. cynomysis (northern Colorado)
  • E. lateralis (N. Colorado SW North Dakota
    Casper, WY)
  • E. ludoviciani (N. Colorado SW North Dakota)
  • E. morainensis (Casper, WY)
  • E. pseudospermophili (Casper, WY)
  • E. spermophili (Casper, WY)
  • E. vilasi (Casper, WY)

Names corrected from original sources according
to Wilbur et al. 1998
8
Hypothesis
  • Specific alleles in immune system genes will
    provide some level of resistance to particular
    parasites or groups of parasites

9
Immune genes of interest
  • Toll-like receptors 2 4
  • Pattern recognition molecules
  • Found on dendritic cells, macrophages, and
    neutrophils
  • Viruses, bacteria, protozoa, fungi, and
    helminths (TLR 2)

10
Immune genes of interest
  • Toll-like receptors 2 4
  • Chemokine receptor 5
  • Found on dendritic cells, macrophages, and CD4 T
    cells
  • Involved in immune cell chemotaxis
  • Used by HIV to gain entry to target cells
  • Hypothesized link to plague immunity

11
Immune genes of interest
  • Toll-like receptors 2 4
  • Chemokine receptor 5
  • Class II Major Histocompatibility Complex DRB-1
  • Highly polymorphic
  • Found on dendritic cells, macrophages, and B
    cells
  • Presents extracellular antigens to helper T cells
  • Many studies using a variety of wild vertebrates
  • Parasites, demographic history,
    mate-choice,selection mechanisms

12
Field methods
  • Short Grass Steppe Long Term Ecological Research
    Area (Pawnee National Grassland)
  • Three prairie dog colonies

Avg dispersal distance 1.8 2.7km Max dispersal
distance 5.7 9.6km
13
Field methods
  • Pawnee National Grassland
  • Live-trap black-tailed prairie dogs
  • June November 2007 April November 2008

14
Field methods
  • Pawnee National Grassland
  • Live-trap black-tailed prairie dogs
  • Collect fleas, feces, blood, and tissue

15
Field methods
  • Pawnee National Grassland
  • Live-trap black-tailed prairie dogs
  • Collect fleas, feces, blood, and tissue
  • Record age, sex, and weight

16
Field methods
  • Pawnee National Grassland
  • Live-trap black-tailedprairie dogs
  • Collect fleas, feces,blood, and tissue
  • Record age, sex, and weight
  • Mark each animal with numbered ear tags

17
Capture Recordsthrough July 14, 2007
18
Laboratory methods
  • Quantify and identify
  • Eimeria spp.
  • Cryptosporidium and Giardia
  • Fleas and ticks
  • Test for antibodies to
  • West Nile Virus
  • Yersinia pestis (plague)
  • SSCP analysis to determine immune gene alleles
  • Microsatellite analysis
  • Neutral control, relatedness

19
Anticipated results(i.e., why this research is
important)
  • Develop adaptive genetic markers that will be
    useful in conservation for all 5 species of
    prairie dog
  • Contribute to current knowledge of the genetic
    basis for susceptibility and resistance to
    disease
  • Provide a current survey of black-tailed prairie
    dog parasites on the Pawnee National Grassland

20
Invaluable help, advice, and funding
  • Mike Antolin
  • Lora Ballweber
  • Dan Tripp
  • Shelley Bayard de Volo
  • Chris Symmes
  • Sarah ONeil
  • Funding
  • National Science Foundation
  • Sigma Xi
  • American Society of Mammalogists
  • Students and Volunteers (field)
  • Allison Fockler, Alyssa Christ, Heather Craven,
    Holly Meltesen, Janelle Trujillo, Jennie Skinner,
    Kelsey Toth, Marie Stiles, Nicole McDaniel, Paul
    Stearman, Rebecca Blaskovich, Sarah Legare, Sarah
    ONeil, Sean Streich, Sorrell Redford, Tori
    Wheeler, Tyler Tretten, and all of the ecology
    students and teachers who came out for a few days
    to see what we do out there
  • Students and Volunteers (lab)
  • Alex Ard, Helen Lepper, Jen Austin, Sarah Legare,
    Sarah ONeil

All photos were either taken by me, my students,
or other people I know, or are from WikiMedia
Commons.
21
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