Harris A. Lewin Department of Animal Sciences Ph.D. (1984) University of California, Davis (217) 333-1695       h-lewin@uiuc.edu

Research Interests

Activities in my laboratory can be divided into three interactive areas of research: 1) the molecular characterization of the bovine major histocompatibility complex (MHC), 2) genetic and immunologic mechanisms of resistance and susceptibility to bovine leukemia virus (BLV) infection and disease progression, and 3) gene mapping in cattle, with an emphasis on comparative mapping and mapping genes controlling economically important traits.

Current research on the bovine MHC is directed at understanding its genetic organization. Unlike humans and mice, the bovine MHC is divided into 2 subregions separated by a large genetic distance. By genetic analysis of single sperm, we have found that bulls may differ significantly in the rate of meiotic recombination in this interval. We are currently constructing a contig of large genomic inserts cloned into a yeast artificial chromosomes in order to localize the region showing variability in recombination. We will also perform comparative DNA sequencing of genes in the bovine MHC.

For the past 13 years, my laboratory has been studying the host-genetic mechanisms of resistance to bovine leukemia virus (BLV) infection. We have shown that class II genes of the bovine MHC are responsible for resistance to progression of BLV infection. Because BLV is a retrovirus the host-virus interaction in BLV-infected cattle has relevance to human retrovirus infections, such as the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the causative agent of AIDS. Gaining an understanding of the mechanism of genetic resistance to progression of BLV infection may help to explain why some HIV-infected humans remain asymptomatic for years while others rapidly develop AIDS.

During the past five years my laboratory developed a 300 marker linkage map of the bovine genome. We are now beginning to expand the map with "expressed sequence tags." A map based on expressed genes will be useful for performing comparative genome analysis and for genetic dissection of complex traits such as growth, reproduction, lactation and disease resistance. A large project aimed at mapping such genes in dairy cattle is presently underway.

Key Words Genome Organization/RFLP Mapping, Cellular Immunology, Virology, Lymphokines/Growth Factors, Disease Models

Current Research Funding USDA, United States-Israel Binational Agricultural Research and Development Fund, NIH/National Cancer Institute

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