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Article: SEA SQUIRTS ANSWER SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT EVOLUTION OF SELF-NONSELF RECOGNITION.
- Article from:
- BIOWORLD Today
- Article date:
- September 22, 2000
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2000 A Thomson Healthcare Company. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Determining self from nonself on the microscopic level is as important as determining if someone is for you or against you in human society. It can mean survival or annihilation. On the cellular level, this determination depends on the recognition of specific proteins.
The proteins that allow an organism to distinguish self from nonself are encoded by a group of genes in the major histocompatibility complex (MHC). This is known as the H-2 complex in mice and the human lymphocyte antigen (HLA) complex in humans. MHC genes encode cell-surface proteins called histocompatibility antigens. They are key determinants of tissue type and transplant compatibility and more ...