title: The omega/lambda 5 surrogate immunoglobulin light chain is expressed on the surface of transitional B lymphocytes in murine bone marrow.
abstract: The membrane immunoglobulin heavy chain (micron) plays a feedback role during the pre-B stage of B lymphocyte differentiation. In pre-B cell lines, micron associates with two surrogate light chain proteins. The omega chain is disulfide linked to mu and was predicted to be the product of the lambda 5 gene. The iota chain is noncovalently associated with micron. We demonstrate that the omega protein is indeed the product of the lambda 5 gene and that mu, omega, and iota are coassociated in the same complex. Antibodies against the omega/lambda 5 protein demonstrate the existence of a subpopulation of "transitional" bone marrow B cells that express micron and omega on the cell surface. The majority of these cells also express surface kappa light chains, indicating that in B lymphoid ontogeny the lambda 5 gene is inactivated after the onset of kappa light chain expression.
authors.affiliation: Molecular Immunology Laboratory, Cancer Center of Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston.
authors.forename: B J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Cherayil
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pillai
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology*; D001854:Bone Marrow Cells; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000276:immunology; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D007147:Immunoglobulin Light Chains; D054444:Immunoglobulin Light Chains, Surrogate; D007145:Immunoglobulin kappa-Chains / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D007146:Immunoglobulin lambda-Chains / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics*; D007148:Immunoglobulin mu-Chains / Q000378:metabolism*; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D013154:Spleen / Q000166:cytology
chemical_list: D007147:Immunoglobulin Light Chains; D054444:Immunoglobulin Light Chains, Surrogate; D007145:Immunoglobulin kappa-Chains; D007146:Immunoglobulin lambda-Chains; D007148:Immunoglobulin mu-Chains; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins