History of DNA typing for the human MHC.
The last twenty years have seen an exponential growth in the application of DNA technology to the field of Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics (H&I). Initially, this was confined to a few research laboratories. However, the development and application of several different DNA methods by many laboratories has led to the situation whereby nearly every H&I laboratory performs some DNA typing for the detection of HLA alleles. It would not be unfair to say that H&I has shown diagnostic laboratories in other disciplines how useful the DNA techniques can be. This review attempts to summarise the history and application of DNA methods in the field of Histocompatibility (Table 1).
Northern Ireland Tissue Typing Laboratory, City Hospital Belfast, School of Biology, Northern Ireland. derek.middleton@bil.n-i.nhs.uk
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Middleton
D004247:DNA / Q000032:analysis* / Q000235:genetics*; D006650:Histocompatibility Testing / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008285:Major Histocompatibility Complex / Q000235:genetics*
D004247:DNA