IPD-MHC Database

IPD-MHC Database hosts over 18,000 manually curated MHC alleles from 125 non-human species, organized into eleven taxonomic groups including a cetacean section, and provides infrastructure and tools to study the function and evolution of this highly polymorphic genomic region.

Key Features:

• Comprehensive allele repository: The database contains over 18,000 MHC alleles from 125 species, organized into eleven taxonomic groups, all manually curated and named by the Comparative MHC Nomenclature Committee.
• Cetacean section: A recently included section provides data for studying the immune system of whales, dolphins, and porpoises, and serves as the official nomenclature platform for the Cetacea Leukocyte Antigens (CeLA).
• Predicted tertiary structures: The database includes predicted tertiary structures for over 8,000 alleles.
• Allele comparison and visualization: Users can compare and visualize allele variation within and between species at single residue resolution.

Scientific Applications:

• MHC function and evolution research: The database provides necessary infrastructure and tools to study the function and evolution of the highly polymorphic MHC genomic region.
• Cetacean immunogenetics: Researchers can study the immune system of whales, dolphins, and porpoises using the dedicated cetacean section and CeLA nomenclature.
• Comparative polymorphism analysis: Users can analyze complex MHC polymorphism using up-to-date methods within a single repository that maintains the link between official nomenclature and analytical capabilities.

Methodology:

Alleles are manually curated and named by the Comparative MHC Nomenclature Committee. Tertiary structures are predicted computationally. Comparison and visualization of allele variation is performed at single residue resolution.