Resumen:

Modulation of MHC Antigen Expression & Disease : The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) genes are involved in the immune system's response to tumor and infected cells and in generating an immune response. This book brings together basic aspects of the regulation of MHC antigens with important clinical applications (in viral infection, viral oncology, cancer biology and autoimmunity). The book's major themes are: the mechanisms of MHC expression, which is explored at several levels including the transcription and translation of MHC genes and the insertion of MHC protein molecules into plasma membranes; the effect of cytokines on MHC expression, both in the aetiology of certain diseases and in possible immunotherapeutic approaches to disease; and the use of gene therapy to modify MHC expression in cancer cells and thereby cause tumor rejection.