The role of the major histocompatibility complex in autoimmunity

In the case of many autoimmune diseases, HLA genes are the genes most closely associated with disease susceptibility. Recent major advances in the ability to determine particular HLA genotypes in individuals now allow us to identify the precise alleles most closely associated with disease. Rheumatoid arthritis, long known to be associated with HLA-DR4, provides a good model for review of this progress, demonstrating how methodologic advances have led to an improved understanding of the immunogenetic basis of this disease, with implications for both pathogenesis and potential therapeutic interventions.