Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. CIITA is a human gene which encodes a protein called the class II, major histocompatibility complex, transactivator. Mutations in this gene are responsible for the bare lymphocyte syndrome in which the immune system is severely compromised and cannot effectively fight infection.CIITA mRNA can only be detected in human leukocyte antigen (HLA) system class II-positive cell lines and tissues. This highly restricted tissue distribution suggests that expression of HLA class II genes is to a large extent under the control of CIITA. However CIITA does not appear to directly bind to DNA. Instead CIITA functions through activation the transcription factor RFX5. Hence CIITA is classified as a transcriptional coactivator.