Immunogenetics

Book Reviews Immunogenetics, edited by Gabriel S. Panayi and Chella S. David, 406 pp, with illus, $99.95, Stoneham, Massachusetts, Butterworth Publishers, 1984 Just as basic immunogenetics, the branch of immunology concerned with the inheritance of differences in antigens and the immune responses to them, has flourished in recent years, so has its relevance to human diseases. This collection of 12 articles, written by an international group of experts, reviews and elucidates both the basic and the disease-related aspects of the field. The first two articles describe the history, structure, and immunologic functions of the murine (H-2) and human (human leukocyte antigen [HLA]) major histocompatibility complex (MHC) systems, with an overview of murine models of human disease in the former presentation and an overview of HLA and disease associations in the latter. This material is followed by an article about the four complement genes of the human MHC, which further delves into the theoretical basis of MHC linkage disequilibria and disease associations. The fourth article is a survey of the genetics of human immunoglobulins; it complements the previous article and introduces the reader to the roles of allotypes in immune responses and in diseases. Five clinically oriented articles exhaustively review the immunogenetics of the spondylarthritides, rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, multiple sclerosis, and autoimmune thyroiditis, respectively. Another article discusses the derivation, function, and utility of murine and human T-lymphocyte clones. In the subsequent contribution, the molecular immunology of the murine MHC is reviewed, as are the new ways of identifying H-2 genes by DNA sequence determination, genetic mapping, and transfection (the transfer of genes into cells of another genetic background). The last article is a comprehensive review of the generation, characterization, and use of monoclonal antibodies of murine and human origin for biomedical research and clinical applications. Expansion of the title of the book to reveal its clinical relevance would have been advantageous, because the volume is most successful in that regard. For example, MHC and disease associations are reviewed by several authors from various refreshingly different viewpoints. In contrast, the coverage of the classic aspects of murine and human MHC genetics is somewhat prosaic, and nonspecialists probably will find the review of the new molecular genetics of the murine MHC difficult to underMayo Clin Proc 60:281, 1985

stand without reference to a textbook on molecular biology. In the beginning of the article on T-cell clones, the statement that the "nature of the T-cell receptor for antigen remains unknown" is no longer valid because of its very recent elucidation, but the article still is a useful and authoritative introduction to the subject. The article on MHC-linked human complement genes and their products is a particularly thorough and scholarly treatment of the subject. This article, along with the five chapters devoted to the immunogenetics of specific human diseases, such as the arthritides and systemic lupus erythematosus, will be of particular interest to rheumatologists. The impressive final article on monoclonal antibodies truly captures the "essence of the so-called 'monoclonal revolution'.. .the development of a simple, reproducible method of tapping, at w i l l , [the] immense reservoir of biological heterogeneity and specificity" represented by the incredibly large antibody-producing capacity of mice and humans. All the material is well substantiated, as evidenced by citations of numerous references to original sources and review articles. The book will be appealing and useful to immunologists and to medical scientists and practitioners who are interested in the interactions of heredity, immunity, and disease. David Steinmuller, Ph.D. Director, Histocompatibility Laboratory Transplantation Society of Michigan

The Premenstrual Syndrome and Progesterone Therapy, 2nd ed, by Katharina Dalton, 291 pp, with illus, $24.95, London, William Heinemann Medical Books (distributed by Year Book Medical Publishers, Chicago), 1984 The lay press has discovered what most patients, physicians, and Katharina Dalton have known for many years—that numerous women experience substantial physical and emotional disability before the onset of monthly menses. The diagnosis of "premenstrual syndrome" has become trendy. It has also been successfully used as a legal defense for antisocial acts performed by women premenstrually. Dr. Dalton has made an outstanding contribution to medicine by accurately defining the syndrome. In this 281