Human leukocyte antigen in medicine

Authors

Alaa Efat, Menoufia University
Emad El-Shebiny, Menoufia University
Khairy A. El-Hady, Shebin El-Kom Fever HospitalFollow
Sabry Shoeib, Menoufia University

Subject Area

Urology

Article Type

Review

Abstract

Objective The aim was to evaluate human leukocyte antigen (HLA) biology and its importance in medicine. Materials and methods Medline databases (PubMed, Medscape, ScienceDirect, and MMJ) were searched. The initial search presented 500 articles, papers, and journals about immunity, major histocompatibility complex, HLA, minor histocompatibility complex, autoimmune diseases, infectious diseases, transplantation, and HLA application in medicine. Short reviews were made on HLA biology and different associated diseases. Conclusion Most of the genes in the major histocompatibility complex region express high polymorphism, which is fundamental to their function. The most important function of HLA molecule is in the induction and regulation of immune responses. Many human diseases, such as autoimmune, infectious, inflammatory, and malignant, are significantly more common among individuals carrying particular HLA alleles. HLA-disease association is the name of this phenomenon, and the mechanism underlying is still a hot debate topic.

Recommended Citation

Efat, Alaa; El-Shebiny, Emad; El-Hady, Khairy A.; and Shoeib, Sabry (2019) "Human leukocyte antigen in medicine," Menoufia Medical Journal: Vol. 32: Iss. 4, Article 7.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4103/mmj.mmj_211_16