The HLA (Human Leukocyte Antigen) system plays a central role in controlling immune responses and influencing susceptibility to a large number of diseases. This book clearly describes the structure, function, and genetics of the HLA system, and the mechanisms that account for HLA associated disease susceptibility, discussed in the context of experimental animal models. The statistical principles relevant to the design and interpretation of HLA and disease studies are presented in simple and accessible language, and several of the major autoimmune diseases that are associated with the inheritance of particular HLA types are discussed in detail. Not only does this volume review the progress that has been made in the fields of HLA biology during the past decade, it also highlights the areas in which future developments are most likely to occur. Features: * Describes the relevance of the HLA (a genetic region involved in self-nonself recognition) to disease. It plays a role in many autoimmune diseases such as diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis and SLE, and also in transplantation tolerance/rejection.