title: [The HLA system and rheumatoid arthritis].
abstract: Recent developments in molecular biology allow a more detailed description of and insight into the interaction between T-cell receptor, antigen/peptide, and MHC gene products. These advances also provide a better approach to understanding the molecular genetics of susceptibility to certain diseases. This review tries to interpret MHC structure/function relationships, using rheumatoid arthritis as a paradigm. The following aspects are of special importance: Most likely MHC class-II gene products are directly involved in the pathogenic process and are not only to be considered as "markers". Susceptibility to rheumatoid arthritis is not associated with a single serologically defined HLA-specificity (e.g., HLA-DR4). However, there is substantial evidence that shared functional epitopes on different MHC molecules (e.g., HLA-DR1 and HLA-DR4 subtypes) confer risk for rheumatoid arthritis.
authors.affiliation: Medizinische Universitätsklinik Freiburg, Abteilung Rheumatologie und Klinische Immunologie.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lang
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Melchers
authors.forename: H H
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Peter
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence / Q000235:genetics; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000235:genetics*; D005819:Genetic Markers / Q000235:genetics; D006680:HLA Antigens / Q000235:genetics*; D006681:HLA-D Antigens / Q000235:genetics; D000949:Histocompatibility Antigens Class II / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D005819:Genetic Markers; D006680:HLA Antigens; D006681:HLA-D Antigens; D000949:Histocompatibility Antigens Class II
vernacular_title: Das HLA-System und die rheumatoide Arthritis.