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Zoologists have categorized primates into a single order, and no
one doubts today that they share a common ancestry. Humans and Old
and New World non human primate species, from the lemurs of
Madagascar to the African anthro poid apes, represent diverging
branches of an evolutionary common trunk. Along with
species-specific characters, all primates have retained a number of
ancestral traits, relics of their common origin. The comparative
study of these species-specific and ancestral traits makes it
possible to reconstruct the evolu tionary pathways of humans and
nonhuman primates. The discovery of the human blood groups and,
later, of the Major Histocom patibility Complex (MHC) had a seminal
effect on the field of human genetics, providing the first sound
examples of mendel ian polymorphisms. The use of blood group and
MHC alleles as genetic markers in biological anthropology gen
erated a conceptual revolution and persuaded researchers to begin
to think in terms of populations and not only intems of typology.
The counterparts of these human red and white cell antigens were
found and studied in nunhuman primates, and progress in this field
is summarized in this book.
The book provides up-to-date summaries on the main systems of blood
group antigens and MHC molecules. The human systems are used to
explain the necessary background knowledge and the systems in
nonhuman primates are then described and compared. The emphasis is
on the molecular nature of the gene products, the evolutionary
relationships among the various systems, and the presumed mechanims
by which the systems have evolved. All articles are written in such
a way that they can serve as an introduction to the field for
nonexperts and at the same time as a handbook for experts. Numerous
tables, diagrams, and figures provide overviews of structure,
distribution in different species, lists of known forms, and
evolutionary relationships. Extensive reference lists guide the
reader through the literature on each topic.
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