Immune introgression: testing predictions of adaptive immune gene introgression in the European house mouse hybrid zone

• Applicant: Jamie Winternitz, Ph.D.
• Subject Area: Evolution, Anthropology ; Ecology and Biodiversity of Animals and Ecosystems, Organismic Interactions
• Term: since 2024
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 547177276

Recent genomic studies have revealed that hybridization is common in nature and the cause of a significant amount of genomic variation within species. Immune genes are likely to introgress - be transferred between divergent populations/species - faster and farther than other genetic regions because of their adaptive fitness benefits involved in pathogen defense. Evidence is accumulating for differential introgression of immune genes, particularly for the major histocompatibility complex (MHC), but the adaptive value is unclear. We propose to leverage genomic and phenotypic data collected from the well-studied European house mouse hybrid zone to test if introgression of immune genes (immune introgression) is adaptive. To our knowledge, this will be the first study to combine whole exome sequencing, immunological profiles, infection data, and high resolution of hundreds of immune genes to comprehensively investigate the adaptive potential of introgression in a natural hybridizing system.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants