Book review

Systemic autoimmunity Bigazzi PE, Reichlin M, editors. New York, 1991, Marcel Dekker, 320 pp.

This new publication on systemic autoimmunity be- gins with a chapter analyzing the current information on the usage of the immunoglobulin variable gene segments in autoimmune diseases. Great anticipation existed that if use of V genes in autoimmune diseases was highly restricted, a new avenue of therapy might be opened directed against selective immune recep- tors. The authors who have been among leading in- vestigators and contributors in this area provide a so- ber analysis and caution against overinterpretation of the data. Several chapters cover the fields of comple- ment, idiotype networks, and genetic influences in both murine models and human disease. Each of these chapters is written by a group of expert authorities, and they all contain interesting information, since the authors not only provide the latest data but also take care to critically analyze the probable significance of the information. Examples include the concepts that inherited defects in complement may alter normal function to the point of predisposing the host to au- toimmune syndromes (chapter 2), that graft versus host reactions may result in the release of intracellular

antigens that form complexes with preexisting anti- bodies, resulting in immune complex-mediated in- flammation (chapter 4). In immunogenetics it is sug- gested that non-major histocompatibility complex genes may have an important role in autoimmune diseases (chapter 5). Several chapters are about spe- cific autoimmune diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus , polymyositis , Sjbgren’s syndrome, and scleroderma. In each of these chapters the new information on the molecular structure and function of intracellular target antigens is described and presented in easily understood tabular form. The chapter on polymyositis (chapter 8) is com- prehensive, and hypotheses concerning etiology are carefully discussed.

This book complements several other recent books on autoimmunity. Some of the subjects covered in this book are sufficiently different from those in other books so that it will stand as a useful and nonredundant contribution to the field.

Eng Tan, MD Scripps Clinic1 Research Foundation

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