Abstract
Recent large-scale sequencing and comparative analyses of the major histocompatibility complex (Mhc) provide a novel view of this long-studied region. The main insight is that even though Mhcs are defined by the presence of the Mhc class I and II genes, the regions encoding class I/II histocompatibility antigens are the least conserved among the species; hence the difficulty of modeling the human class I/II-linked diseases. Fortunately, the majority of the genes in the Mhc, the non-class I/II genes, are conserved among the investigated mammals. The full set of Mhc genes in their evolutionary context presents new possibilities to study Mhc-linked diseases by allowing systematic evaluation of the various experimental animals and approaches.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 258-263 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | Current Opinion in Genetics and Development |
Volume | 14 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jun 2004 |
Keywords
- CDSN
- HLA
- Mhc
- corneodesmosin
- human leukocyte antigen
- major histocompatibility complex
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Genetics
- Developmental Biology