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.

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.

Every biological system is the outcome of evolution and has a history all its own. This history dictates how the system works and why it has certain properties and not others. This is why we need to study not only the structure and function, but also the history of the system. This argument undoubtedly applies to the study of the immune system and also to the study of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC). Since 1989, researchers of various scientific disciplines who share a deep inter est in MHC evolution have held a meeting every two years to discuss their latest research developments, exchange ideas, and foster friendship. Together with my colleagues Drs. Naoyuki Takahata and Yoko Satta, I organized the Sixth Interna tional Workshop on MHC Evolution in Hayama, Japan, May 25-29, 1999. This volume is the proceedings of that conference. It covers diverse topics pertinent to MHC evolution, including the origin of the adaptive immune system, the organi zation of the MHC in humans and other model vertebrates, MHC-parasite co evolution, and the nature and origin of MHC polymorphism. I hope that this book will be of interest not only for MHC researchers and immunologists, but also for other specialists who are interested in the evolution of biological systems in gen eral.

The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) is a highly polymorphic and diverse multigene locus in all jawed vertebrate species that has an integral role in adaptive/innate immune systems, transplantation, and infectious and autoimmune diseases. The MHC supra-locus in mammalian vertebrates is usually partitioned into three distinct regions, known as classes I, II, and III, which, to varying extents, can be found conserved in nonmammalian jawed vertebrates, such as bony fish, amphibians, and bird lineages. The MHC gene region is characterized particularly by the expression of class I and class II glycoproteins that bind peptides derived from intracellular or extracellular antigens to circulating T-cells. While this expressed antigenic specificity remains the predominant interest with respect to MHC function and polymorphism in a population, a broader concept has emerged that examines the MHC as a multifunctional polymorphic controller that facilitates and regulates genome diversity with a much greater array of functions and effects than just MHC-restricted antigen recognition. This volume of 19 reprints presented by various experts and collected from the Special Issue of Cells on “MHC in Health and Disease” covers a broad range of topics on the genomic diversity of the MHC regulatory system in various vertebrate species, including MHC class I, II, and III genes; innate and adaptive immunity; neurology; transplantation; haplotypes; infectious and autoimmune diseases; fecundity; conservation; allelic lineages; and evolution. Taken together, these articles demonstrate the immense complexity and diversity of the MHC structure and function within and between different vertebrate species.

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.