How does histocompatibility work
The main issue addressed at the fifth international workshop on bone marrow transplantation for leukaemia was the importance of the major histocompatibility complex (mhc) and of minor histocompatibility (minor h) systems in allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (bmt) in humans.Histocompatibility, or tissue compatibility, is the property of having the same, or sufficiently similar, alleles of a set of genes called human leukocyte antigens (hla), or major histocompatibility complex (mhc).The mhc genes are, in fact, the most polymorphic genes known.The histocompatibility system is responsible for the rejection of allografts.Get a printable copy (pdf file) of the complete article (276k), or click on a page image below to browse page by page.The major histocompatibility complex ( mhc) is a collection of genes coding for mhc molecules found on the surface of all nucleated cells of the body.
Each individual expresses many unique hla proteins on the surface of their cells, which signal to the immune system whether a cell is part of the self or an invading organism.Mica antigens are different than classical mhc molecules as they do not combine with β2 microglobulin, do.The mhc is a collection of glycoproteins (proteins with a carbohydrate) that exist on the plasma membranes of nearly all body cells.
