title: Light chain germ-line genes and the immune response to 2-phenyloxazolone.
abstract: Direct sequencing of mRNA has shown that the early primary response of the BALB/c mouse to the hapten 2-phenyloxazolone is dominated by antibodies with a particular light chain, V kappa-Ox1. Although the V kappa-Ox1 sequence is still commonly expressed later in the response it now includes a number of nucleotide changes. From two independent BALB/c germ-line DNA libraries 13 different genes hybridizing to a V kappa-Ox1 probe were isolated and characterized. Two are identical to mRNA sequences found in the early primary response, one of which is the V kappa-Ox1 sequence. None of the germ-line clones show the characteristic nucleotide changes contained in the late anti-phenyloxazolone light chain mRNAs. These results demonstrate that the V kappa-Ox1 sequence used in the early primary response is entirely encoded by the germ-line and further substantiate the importance of somatic mutations in the maturation of the anti-phenyloxazolone response. The statistical analysis of the data shows that the V kappa-Ox1 related germ-line gene family contains greater than 20 and probably less than 50 genes.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000916:Antibody Diversity; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004247:DNA / Q000235:genetics; D007135:Immunoglobulin Variable Region / Q000235:genetics*; D007145:Immunoglobulin kappa-Chains / Q000235:genetics*; D051379:Mice; D009154:Mutation; D010080:Oxazoles / Q000276:immunology*; D010081:Oxazolone / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D007135:Immunoglobulin Variable Region; D007145:Immunoglobulin kappa-Chains; D010080:Oxazoles; C018361:2-phenyloxazolone; D010081:Oxazolone; D004247:DNA