Endothelial expression of MHC class II molecules in autoimmune disease
Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II molecules are up-regulated on endothelial cells in human allografts, and are thought to be involved in graft rejection. The MFIC class 11 subtypes HLA-DR, DQ and DP regulate T cell dependent immune responses, and aberrant expression could be important in autoimmunity. Increased endothelial MHC class II expression has been demonstrated in several auto