The Major Histocompatibility Complex — Genetics and Biology

The biologic importance of the chromosomal region, called the major histocompatibility complex (MHC), determining the strong transplantation antigens, lies not only in its pre-eminent role in affecting allograft survival but in the control of a large array of biologic phenomena, including immune responsiveness, development and susceptibility to disease. In fact, one might well think of the MHC as a region important in the determination of cell-surface structures and thereby in cell interactions such as those involved in morphogenesis and the maintenance of individuality. Under the pressure of clinical necessity, most of the available information in man . . .