title: A private idiotype can become recurrent through genetic recombination and gene(s) unlinked to the Igh locus governs its expression.
abstract: Any immune response is characterized by its idiotypic profile. Two different kinds of idiotype (Id) have been described. Private Id are restricted to a few individuals from a species while recurrent Id appear in a large majority of individuals from the same species immunized with the same antigen. We describe, in this report, an experimental model whereby a private Id can become recurrent through genetic recombination. The immune response of A mice against the hapten arsonate is characterized by a recurrent Id called cross-reactive idiotype A (CRIA). A strongly CRI, called CRIA-like, can be occasionally detected in some BALB/c mice (5% to 10%) immunized with arsonate. Molecular studies show that CRIA and CRIA-like antibodies have highly homologous D segments and identical light chains. By contrast, their VH segments are vastly dissimilar. We have examined the anti-arsonate response of inbred strains of mice whose Igh loci are recombinant between those of A/He and BALB/c. Interestingly, we have observed that the CRIA-like Id which is private in BALB/c becomes recurrent in the AXC-1 strain which harbors the VH genes from BALB/c, the DH and CH genes from A/He. Structural studies demonstrate that highly homologous, VH, VL and D segments are used in BALB/c and AXC-1 mice. The basis for this differential expression of highly similar genes could be linked to the DH locus. However, F1 mice stemming from the cross between AXC-1 and BALB/c do not express the Id. The backcross analysis shows that the non-expression of the Id in F1 mice depends on genes unlinked to the Igh locus.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Physiologie Animale, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Rhode-St.-Genèse, Belgium.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Mertens
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Berek
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Andris
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Willems
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Brait
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Riblet
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Slaoui
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Urbain
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000917:Antibody Formation; D001151:Arsenic / Q000276:immunology; D001152:Arsenicals; D001483:Base Sequence; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D007143:Immunoglobulin Heavy Chains / Q000235:genetics; D007130:Immunoglobulin Idiotypes / Q000235:genetics*; D007147:Immunoglobulin Light Chains / Q000235:genetics; D007135:Immunoglobulin Variable Region / Q000235:genetics; D051379:Mice; D008805:Mice, Inbred A; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008954:Models, Biological; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011995:Recombination, Genetic; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid
chemical_list: D001152:Arsenicals; D007143:Immunoglobulin Heavy Chains; D007130:Immunoglobulin Idiotypes; D007147:Immunoglobulin Light Chains; D007135:Immunoglobulin Variable Region; C054806:arsonic acid; D001151:Arsenic