title: Junctional diversity in Xenopus immunoglobulin light chains.
abstract: Xenopus cDNA sequences encoding the homolog of mammalian kappa (kappa) light (L) chains were isolated from isogenic tadpole and adult individuals to investigate whether there existed stage-specific immunoglobulin L chain expression and somatic diversification. In the course of these studies rearrangements to a sixth J(L) gene segment and a pseudogene (J(L)psi) were found, and it is suggested that the order of these gene segments with respect to the L chain constant (C) region exon is: J(L)6-J(L)1-J(L)2-J(L)3-J(L)4-J(L)5-J(L)psi-C(L). The cDNA junctional diversity was analyzed; few N and P regions were found and almost all the CDR3 were 9 codons in length. There were restricted patterns of recombination site resolution, and this is attributed to some constraint in JL coding end processing.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, State University of New York Health Science Center at Brooklyn, NY 11203, USA.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ji
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Desravines
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hsu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000916:Antibody Diversity; D000917:Antibody Formation; D001483:Base Sequence; D017931:DNA Primers / Q000235:genetics; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000235:genetics; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D015328:Gene Rearrangement, B-Lymphocyte, Light Chain; D005803:Genes, Immunoglobulin; D006824:Hybridization, Genetic; D007135:Immunoglobulin Variable Region / Q000235:genetics; D007145:Immunoglobulin kappa-Chains / Q000235:genetics*; D013045:Species Specificity; D014981:Xenopus / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology*; D014982:Xenopus laevis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D007135:Immunoglobulin Variable Region; D007145:Immunoglobulin kappa-Chains