Cloning and sequencing the first HLA gene

This Perspectives article recounts the isolation and sequencing of the first human histocompatibility gene (HLA) in 1980-1981. At the time, general knowledge of the molecules of the immune system was already fairly extensive, and gene rearrangements in the immunoglobulin complex (discovered in 1976) had generated much excitement: HLA was quite obviously the next frontier. The author was able to use a homologous murine H-2 cDNA to identify putative human HLA genomic clones in a lambda-phage library and thus to isolate and sequence the first human histocompatibility gene. This personal account relates the steps that led to this result, describes the highly competitive international environment, and highlights the role of location, connections, and sheer luck in such an achievement. It also puts this work in perspective with a short description of the current knowledge of histocompatibility genes and, finally, presents some reflections on the meaning of "discovery."