HY, MHC and organogenesis (was Self/nonself discrimination)

[Paul J Travers]

In article <32ik7o$kgt at search01.news.aol.com>, fniner at aol.com (FNINER)
wrote:

>  Thus, Ohno referred to H-Y/MHC as organogenesis-directing proteins.  
and 
>  This further extended support to Ohno's hypothesis
> (at least in Ohno's mind) that MHC molecules are the
> organopgenesis-directing proteins.  


I think one can discount these suggestions on two grounds; Liz Simpson and
colleagues have shown, with recombinants of sex-reversed (sxr) mice, that
H-Y is not the testis-determining factor and can be separated from it by
recombination (moreover Knill-Jones and Goodfellow have cloned the TDF). 
Secondly, organogenesis proceeds normally in the absence of MHC molecules,
in the beta-2 knockout mice and in the human genetic deficiencies in class
I and/or class II molecules, the Bare Lymphocyte Syndrome.

               Paul
-- 
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