The level of λ1 light chain expression in the mouse reflects the probability of rearrangement of the relevant gene

✍ Scribed by Daniele Primi; Matthieu Levi-Strauss; Pierre-André Cazenave

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1986
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 811 KB
• Volume: 16
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0014-2980
• DOI: 10.1002/eji.1830160111

✦ Synopsis

Immunochimie Analytique' and Unit6 d'ImmunogCnCtique', Institut Pasteur, Paris

The predominance of x over h light chain expression in mice can either reflect the probability of rearrangement of the relevant locus or be the result of antigen-driven clonal expansion. To discriminate between these two possibilities we determined, by limiting dilution analysis, the frequencies of x-and h-producing cells in B lymphocytes generated in vitro from bone marrow pre-B cells. The frequencies obtained in these cultures are not significantly different from those obtained with mature spleen cells.

In addition, Southern blot analysis of bone marrow-derived and splenic cell DNA revealed that in both populations the extent of B lymphocytes having undergone h l gene rearrangement does not exceed 4%. These results, therefore, establish that in the mouse the low level of h light chain expression directly reflects the probability of rearrangement of the relevant locus.