title: Altered expression of lymphocyte functional antigen in Down syndrome.
abstract: A chronic inability to resist infection is a major cause of death in patients suffering from Down syndrome. However, how this impairment in immune function is related to the diagnostic characteristic of the syndrome - possession of three copies of chromosome 21 - is currently far from clear. In this article, Malcolm Taylor argues that the presence of the gene encoding the β subunit of the lymphocyte functional antigen on this chromosome suggests that immunodeficiency may be linked to the aberrant expression of this antigen on lymphocytes.
authors.affiliation: Immunogenetics Laboratory, Department of Medical Genetics, St Mary's Hospital, Whitworth Park, Manchester M13 0JH, UK.
authors.forename: G M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Taylor