MHC haplotype analysis by artificial neural networks

T-cell epitope vaccine design by immunoinformatics

Vaccination is generally considered to be the most effective method of preventing infectious diseases. All vaccinations work by presenting a foreign antigen to the immune system in order to evoke an immune response. The active agent of a vaccine may be intact but inactivated ('attenuated') forms of the causative pathogens (bacteria or viruses), or purified components of the pathogen that have been found to be highly immunogenic. The increased understanding of antigen recognition at molecular level has resulted in the development of rationally designed peptide vaccines. The concept of peptide vaccines is based on identification and chemical synthesis of B-cell and T-cell epitopes which are immunodominant and can induce specific immune responses. The accelerating growth of bioinformatics techniques and applications along with the substantial amount of experimental data has given rise to a new field, called immunoinformatics. Immunoinformatics is a branch of bioinformatics dealing with in silico analysis and modelling of immunological data and problems. Different sequence- and structure-based immunoinformatics methods are reviewed in the paper.

MICA, MICB, and MHC Beta Block Matching in Bone Marrow Transplantation: Relevance to Transplantation Outcome

Genetic testing of the MHC is required for selection of donors for bone marrow transplantation. The outcome of related bone marrow transplantation is usually superior to that of unrelated bone marrow transplantation. This may be the result of inaccurate or incomplete genetic testing employed for selection of donor for transplantation. Based on MHC haplotype matching, MHC block matching has been developed for selection of potential unrelated donor. Block matching has been shown previously to improve outcome when added to the conventional method of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) typing for selection of donors. In this study, we have retrospectively analyzed 44 donor recipient pairs from the Australian Bone Marrow Donor Registry Repository with respect to matching of HLA-B and HLA-Cw by sequence-based typing and MICA and MICB by polymerase chain reaction-sequence specific primer and MHC beta block matching and correlated these results with survival. Beta block matching was correlated with MIC matching (p < 0.005) and with HLA-B and HLA-Cw matching. Patients who were HLA-B and -Cw matched had significantly improved survival when they were additionally matched for MHC beta block (p(c) = 0.04) or MIC (p(c) = 0.05).

Inheritable variable sizes of DNA stretches in the human MHC: conserved extended haplotypes and their fragments or blocks

The difference in sizes of conserved stretches of DNA sequence within the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) in human individuals constitutes an underappreciated genetic diversity that has many practical implications. We developed a model to describe the variable sizes of stretches of conserved DNA in the MHC using the known frequencies of four different kinds of small (< 0.2 Mb) blocks of relatively conserved DNA sequence: HLA-Cw/B; TNF; complotype; and HLA-DR/DQ. Each of these small blocks is composed of two or more alleles of closely linked loci inherited as one genetic unit. We updated the concept of the conserved extended haplotype (CEH) using HLA allele identification and TNF microsatellites to show that specific combinations of the four blocks form single genetic units (>/= 1.5 Mb) with a total haplotype frequency in the Caucasian population of 0.30. Some CEHs extend to the HLA-A and -DPB1 loci forming fixed genetic units of up to at least 3.2 Mb of DNA. Finally, intermediate fragments of CEHs also exist, which are, nevertheless, larger than any of the four small blocks. This complexity of genetic fixity at various levels should be taken into account in studies of genetic disease association, immune response control, and human diversity. This knowledge could also be used for matching CEHs and their fragments for patients undergoing allotransplantation.

A commented dictionary of techniques for genotyping

Several tools, differing in their technical and practical parameters, are available for the detection of point mutations as well as small deletions and insertions. In this article, a dictionary featuring over fifty methods for detection of mutation is presented. The distinguishing principle for each method is briefly explained. Sorting of and discussion on the methods give the reader a brief introduction to the field of genotyping.

The significance of HLA matching in cardiac transplantation

It is argued that HLA matching is not worthwhile in heart transplantation. However, transplanting HLA compatible hearts enhances graft survival and should significantly reduce infection and malignancies related to aggressive immunosuppression. It is our view that the problem is technical and we offer a potential solution.

Reconstruction of the block matching profiles

Block matching is a valuable tool for selecting donors for bone marrow transplantation. Identical, electrophoretic profiles of unrelated bone marrow donor-recipient pairs have been shown to be associated with long-term survival and a reduction of graft versus host disease (GVHD). This study was undertaken to determine the sequences of the PCR products which are generated. PCR products obtained with beta-block primers following the amplification of DNA extracted from cell lines homozygous for 7.1 and 8.1 ancestral haplotypes were cloned and sequenced. The PCR products were characterised and the beta block profiles reconstructed. The data indicate that the profiles consist of homoduplexes and heteroduplexes which are formed by the products of probably 3 different sequence locations.