VH12 rearrangements in adult peritoneal B cells.
About half of the phosphatidylcholine (PtC)-binding peritoneal B cells of B10.H-2aH-4bp/Wts mice express the VH12 gene. In these cells the D-region gene segments are restricted in length and sequence and are always rearranged to JH1, suggesting that PtC-specific B cells are clonally selected. To assess the extent to which this VH gene is used by peritoneal B cells to encode antibodies of other specificities, we have analyzed the length and sequence of D-region gene segments of VH12-D-JH1 rearrangements in peritoneal B cells independent of antigen specificity by PCR. We find that all 34 randomly chosen VH12-D-JH1 rearrangements analyzed are productive and have D regions that are restricted identically to those of PtC-specific B cells. These data suggest that essentially the entire repertoire of VH12-D-JH1 rearrangements are used by B cells that bind PtC, further illustrating the degree to which this repertoire is shaped by antigen selection.
Pennell
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C
Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill 27599.
McCray
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S
Clarke
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S
D000818:Animals; D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000276:immunology; D016175:B-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D001483:Base Sequence; D018956:CD5 Antigens; D004247:DNA / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D015321:Gene Rearrangement; D005803:Genes, Immunoglobulin; D007143:Immunoglobulin Heavy Chains / Q000235:genetics*; D007135:Immunoglobulin Variable Region / Q000235:genetics*; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data
D015703:Antigens, CD; D018956:CD5 Antigens; D007143:Immunoglobulin Heavy Chains; D007135:Immunoglobulin Variable Region; D004247:DNA