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Science 29 November 2002:
Vol. 298. no. 5599, p. 1675
DOI: 10.1126/science.298.5599.1675p
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This Week in Science
Variation in the ability to cope with infection among individuals helps ensure the success of a given population. Extensive polymorphism in the genes of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) are consistent with control of resistance, either through the presentation of different foreign peptides by MHC proteins, the selection of distinct repertoires of T cells during development, or through both processes. Messaoudi et al. (p. 1797) observed a large divergence in the response to viral infection in two strains of mice carrying a four-amino acid difference in one MHC gene, but which were otherwise genetically identical. T cells in both strains focused on the same dominant viral peptide, which bound with equal affinity to each MHC variant. However, T cells responsible for better viral clearance in the resistant strain showed greater diversity of T cell receptor usage and improved recognition of antigen. Thus, MHC polymorphism may influence different responses to infection through the repertoire of T cells they select.
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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)
