Epplen J T
Molekulare Humangenetik, Ruhr-Universität, Bochum, Federal Republic of Germany.
Hum Genet. 1992 Dec;90(4):331-41. doi: 10.1007/BF00220454.
The immune system furnishes the organism with the utmost effective defence mechanisms against "foreign" and changes in "self" without doing self-harm. However, optimized efficacy in the defence against the immense variety of "foreign" antigens generates a higher risk for inadvertent self challenge. Such inherent short-comings are the inevitable burden traded for the benefits of an optimally organized defence system. The central molecules involved in specific immune reactions include antigen receptors of B and T lymphocytes, and antigen-presenting proteins encoded by the major histocompatibility complex (MHC; in man HLA). The genetics and evolution of these multigene families is discussed here with respect to their potential contributions to disturbances of "self" recognition. Simple molecular biological tools and procedures for efficiently screening the immunologically relevant genes are described.
免疫系统为机体提供了针对“外来物”以及“自身”变化的最有效防御机制，且不会对自身造成伤害。然而，针对种类繁多的“外来”抗原的防御效能优化，会增加意外自我攻击的风险。这些内在的不足是为了获得组织优化的防御系统的益处而不可避免要付出的代价。参与特异性免疫反应的核心分子包括B淋巴细胞和T淋巴细胞的抗原受体，以及由主要组织相容性复合体（MHC；在人类中为HLA）编码的抗原呈递蛋白。本文将讨论这些多基因家族的遗传学和进化，以及它们对“自我”识别紊乱的潜在影响。还描述了有效筛选免疫相关基因的简单分子生物学工具和程序。
