The VpreB protein of the surrogate light-chain can pair with some mu heavy-chains in the absence of the lambda 5 protein.
Nineteen different mu heavy-chains, seven of them not capable of forming a pre B cell receptor were expressed in Drosophila melanogaster Schneider cells together with either VpreB1, VpreB2, lambda5, or the complete surrogate light-chain to study their interactions in the formation of the pre B cell receptor. The lambda5 protein alone was unable to bind properly to any of the mu heavy-chains, while the VpreB proteins alone formed complexes with five of the mu heavy-chains. All mu heavy-chains incapable of forming a pre B cell receptor with surrogate light-chain were also incapable of complex formation with VpreB. The possible role of the VpreB/mu heavy-chain in allelic exclusion of the heavy-chain locus during B cell development is discussed.
Seidl
T
T
Basel Institute for Immunology, Basel, Switzerland.
Rolink
A
A
Melchers
F
F
D000818:Animals; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D002460:Cell Line; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000235:genetics; D007147:Immunoglobulin Light Chains; D054444:Immunoglobulin Light Chains, Surrogate; D007135:Immunoglobulin Variable Region / Q000378:metabolism; D007146:Immunoglobulin lambda-Chains / Q000378:metabolism*; D007148:Immunoglobulin mu-Chains / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000276:immunology; D014162:Transfection
D007147:Immunoglobulin Light Chains; D054444:Immunoglobulin Light Chains, Surrogate; D007135:Immunoglobulin Variable Region; D007146:Immunoglobulin lambda-Chains; D007148:Immunoglobulin mu-Chains; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins