PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - Hines, Pamela J. TI - Beyond Self-Nonself for MHC AID - 10.1126/stke.3542006tw334 DP - 2006 Sep 26 TA - Science's STKE PG - tw334--tw334 VI - 2006 IP - 354 4099 - http://stke.sciencemag.org/content/2006/354/tw334.short 4100 - http://stke.sciencemag.org/content/2006/354/tw334.full SO - Sci. STKE2006 Sep 26; 2006 AB - Proteins of the major histocompatibility complex class 1 (MHC1), which are important in identifying self and nonself tissue for the immune system, are also found in the brain. Syken et al. show that a receptor, PirB, to which the MHC1 proteins bind, is also found in neurons of the brain. In mice carrying a mutant PirB lacking its signal transduction capabilities, the overall structure of the brain remained normal. However, these mice showed greater than normal plasticity in the visual cortex. Thus, intercellular signaling through PirB seems to be critical for keeping visual plasticity within limits. J. Syken, T. GrandPre, P. O. Kanold, C. J. Shatz, PirB restricts ocular-dominance plasticity in visual cortex. Science 313, 1795-1800 (2006). [Abstract] [Full Text]