Cover image

Cover Three juxtaposed versions of a common pattern, generated by printing tree bark. In this issue, the first transcription map of the human major histocompatibility complex (MHC) is reported, revealing differential expression between common haplotypes associated with autoimmune diseases. The cover shows an abstract representation of the expression of the three haplotypes studied, using the concept of a tree and the manifestation of its genetic information in the bark. The colored areas evoke the three hues used throughout the paper to discriminate the three haplotypes and match those in the first sequencing MHC Haplotype Project report published in Genome Research (Stewart et al. 2004 [Genome Res 14: 1176–1187]). The dark areas illustrate what remains unknown. (Cover illustration by Françoise Vandiedonck, http://www.artfrancoisevandiedonck.com. [For details, see Vandiedonck et al., pp. 1042–1054.])