الفهرس | Only 14 pages are availabe for public view |
Abstract HLA Solving The Mystery The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) was discovered more than 50 years ago. Several decades of intensive research has defined the remarkable genomic environment of the MHC and how genetic variation within this region plays a key role in susceptibility to autoimmune, infectious and other diseases. In this review, rather than describing specific MHC associated diseases, we recall the historical context and describe the genomic landscape of the MHC and some of the challenges which remain: an ongoing adventure in exploring human genetic diversity that keeps the MHC at the forefront of research in human genomics. 1.1 MHC and HLA : basic facts The (MHC) is a large gene complex present in all jawed vertebrates with an integral role in the immune system. The antigenpresenting molecules encoded by the MHC class I and class II genes are cell-surface glycoproteins that bind intracellular & extracellular peptides, respectively (Mosaad et al., 2015). These antigens play predominant role in acceptance or rejection of transplanted organs - so they are called as histocompatibility antigens (Arpita et al., 2014). The term HLA stands for human leucocyte antigens as these antigens were initially detected on the leucocytes (Dunn, 2011). It is equivalent to murine H-2 complex. The HLA class I and class II genes are known as the most polymorphic genes in the human genome. The remarkable extent of the allelic diversity at these loci has been revealed over the past three decades by molecular genetic analyses, made possible by the development of recombinant DNA technology. |