The Janeway's Immunobiology CD-ROM, Immunobiology Interactive, is included with each book, and can be purchased separately. It contains animations and videos with voiceover narration, as well as the figures from the text for presentation purposes.

This is a review of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC), and the role it plays in the immune response and in disease. The emphasis throughout is on the human MHC, but relevant animal studies are inclded to give a comprehensive review of the subject.

A comprehensive guide to the HLA (Human Leukocyte Antigen) system for immunologists and clinicians, this book contains up-to-date information on the MHC (Major Histocompatibility Complex) and its role in the immune response and in various diseases. The book explores the biological significance and role of the HLA system in organ and haematopoietic stem cell transplantation management. This volume is an invaluable guide to the full spectrum of HLA-related science while also serving as a conceptual and technical resource for those involved in HLA-related research and in clinical or surgical practice. In addition, it will be a primary point of contact for individuals working in other areas who suddenly find that their research is drawing them into the complexities of HLA genetics.

The aim of MHC Protocols is to document protocols that can be used for the analysis of genetic variation within the human major histocompatibility complex (MHC; HLA region). The human MHC encompasses approximately 4 million base pairs on the short arm of chromosome 6 at cytogenetic location 6p21. 3. The region is divided into three subregions. The telomeric class I region contains the genes that encode the HLA class I molecules HLA-A, -B, and -C. The centromeric class II region contains the genes encoding the HLA class II molecules HLA-DR, -DQ, and -DP. In between is the class III region, originally identified because it contains genes encoding components of the complement pathway. The entire human MHC has recently been sequenced (1) and each subregion is now known to contain many other genes, a number of which have immunological functions. The study of polymorphism within the MHC is well established, because the region contains the highly polymorphic HLA genes. HLA polymorphism has been used extensively in solid organ and bone marrow transplantation to match donors and recipients. As a result, large numbers of HLA alleles have been identified, a process that has been further driven by recent interest in HLA gene diversity in ethnic populations. The extreme genetic variation in HLA genes is believed to have been driven by the evolutionary response to infectious agents, but relatively few studies have analyzed associations between HLA genetic variation and infectious disease, which has been difficult to demonstrate.

With this book we· want to address young graduate students, clini cians involved in transplantation, and technicians in transplantation immunology laboratories. The volume should give a comprehensive but basic, up to date introduction to the structure, function, and clinical importance of the HLA system. We believe that there is a need for such a survey, and think that the present level of our knowledge is an optimal occasion for publication. A significant number of ques tions have now been resolved, and our knowledge has reached a level of sophistication that provides the basis for additional questions and answers. Although the emphasis of this book is on the role of HLA anti gens in clinical transplantation, their involvement in other clinical contexts is also discussed. The main focus is on the human MHC an tigenic system, but MHC systems in other species are described as they contribute to our understanding of the structural and functional characteristics of HLA antigens. Some important issues related to laboratory techniques are also covered. The contributors have a close affiliation to the field of transplan tation immunology. A majority have even been playing important roles in unraveling the HLA system and its functions. We believe this has contributed significantly to the quality and clinical and practical relevance of the book. As editors, we drew up the principal guidelines and took care that the chapters can be read as separate entities, although this invariably results in some overlapping.