Functional immune diversity in reindeer reveals a high Arctic population at risk

Climate changes the geographic range of both species as well pathogens, causing a potential increase in vulnerability populations or with limited genetic diversity. With advances high throughput sequencing (HTS) technologies, we can now define functional expressed diversity wild at larger scale and identify risk. Previous studies have used genomic DNA to major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II reindeer. Varying numbers genes found many ungulates strongly argues for using cDNA MHC typing strategies ensure that estimates relate genes. We available reindeer genomes candidate established an HTS approach I To capture broad included samples from Southern Norway, semi-domesticated Northern Norway Artic archipelago Svalbard. Our data show medium Norwegian mainland reindeer, low Svalbard The immune provides risk if pathogenic pressure response altered environmental conditions due climate change, increased human-related activity.