A comparison of variation between a MHC pseudogene and microsatellite loci of the little greenbul (Andropadus virens)

BACKGROUND: We investigated genetic variation of a major histcompatibility complex (MHC) pseudogene (Anvi-DAB1) in the little greenbul (Andropadus virens) from four localities in Cameroon and one in Ivory Coast, West Africa. Previous microsatellite and mitochondrial DNA analyses had revealed little or no genetic differentiation among Cameroon localities but significant differentiation between localities in Cameroon and Ivory Coast. RESULTS: Levels of genetic variation, heterozygosity, and allelic diversity were high for the MHC pseudogene in Cameroon. Nucleotide diversity of the MHC pseudogene in Cameroon and Ivory Coast was comparable to levels observed in other avian species that have been studied for variation in nuclear genes. An excess of rare variants for the MHC pseudogene was found in the Cameroon population, but this excess was not statistically significant. Pairwise measures of population differentiation revealed high divergence between Cameroon and Ivory Coast for microsatellites and the MHC locus, although for the latter distance measures were much higher than the comparable microsatellite distances. CONCLUSION: We provide the first ever comparison of variation in a putative MHC pseudogene to variation in neutral loci in a passerine bird. Our results are consistence with the action of neutral processes on the pseudogene and suggest they can provide an independent perspective on demographic history and population substructure.