Biomaterial Database

Evidence for somatic generation of antibody diversity. 1974

S Tonegawa, and C Steinberg, and S Dube, and A Bernardini

RNA preparations containing 70-80% mouse kappa-chain mRNA have been prepared. The remainder consists of many RNA species, each of which represents a small fraction of the total RNA. The kappa-chain mRNA preparation hybridizes with mouse liver DNA with bi-phasic kinetics, indicating that it consists of two fractions -"unique" and "reiterated." Competition hybridization experiments show that the homology among the unique fractions from different mRNAs is the same as the homology among the amino acid sequences of the corresponding kappa-chains. Hence, in addition to the C-region (constant-region) sequences, (most of) the V-region (variable-region) sequences are also derived from unique germ line genes. The reiterated fractions from different kappa-chain mRNAs show essentially complete homology with each other. This fraction seems to consist mostly of sequences which do not code for amino-acid sequences of the secreted polypeptide chain, i.e., the "external" section of the mRNA molecule. It is concluded that the number of germ line genes is too small to account for the observed diversity of antibody molecules.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007128	Immunoglobulin Fragments	Partial immunoglobulin molecules resulting from selective cleavage by proteolytic enzymes or generated through PROTEIN ENGINEERING techniques.	Antibody Fragment,Antibody Fragments,Ig Fragment,Ig Fragments,Immunoglobulin Fragment,Fragment, Antibody,Fragment, Ig,Fragment, Immunoglobulin,Fragments, Antibody,Fragments, Ig,Fragments, Immunoglobulin
D007136	Immunoglobulins	Multi-subunit proteins which function in IMMUNITY. They are produced by B LYMPHOCYTES from the IMMUNOGLOBULIN GENES. They are comprised of two heavy (IMMUNOGLOBULIN HEAVY CHAINS) and two light chains (IMMUNOGLOBULIN LIGHT CHAINS) with additional ancillary polypeptide chains depending on their isoforms. The variety of isoforms include monomeric or polymeric forms, and transmembrane forms (B-CELL ANTIGEN RECEPTORS) or secreted forms (ANTIBODIES). They are divided by the amino acid sequence of their heavy chains into five classes (IMMUNOGLOBULIN A; IMMUNOGLOBULIN D; IMMUNOGLOBULIN E; IMMUNOGLOBULIN G; IMMUNOGLOBULIN M) and various subclasses.	Globulins, Immune,Immune Globulin,Immune Globulins,Immunoglobulin,Globulin, Immune
D007145	Immunoglobulin kappa-Chains	One of the types of light chains of the immunoglobulins with a molecular weight of approximately 22 kDa.	Ig kappa Chains,Immunoglobulins, kappa-Chain,kappa-Immunoglobulin Light Chains,Immunoglobulin kappa-Chain,kappa-Chain Immunoglobulins,kappa-Immunoglobulin Light Chain,kappa-Immunoglobulin Subgroup VK-12,kappa-Immunoglobulin Subgroup VK-21,Chains, Ig kappa,Immunoglobulin kappa Chain,Immunoglobulin kappa Chains,Immunoglobulins, kappa Chain,Light Chain, kappa-Immunoglobulin,Light Chains, kappa-Immunoglobulin,kappa Chain Immunoglobulins,kappa Chains, Ig,kappa Immunoglobulin Light Chain,kappa Immunoglobulin Light Chains,kappa Immunoglobulin Subgroup VK 12,kappa Immunoglobulin Subgroup VK 21,kappa-Chain, Immunoglobulin,kappa-Chains, Immunoglobulin
D007457	Iodine Radioisotopes	Unstable isotopes of iodine that decay or disintegrate emitting radiation. I atoms with atomic weights 117-139, except I 127, are radioactive iodine isotopes.	Radioisotopes, Iodine
D007700	Kinetics	The rate dynamics in chemical or physical systems.
D008807	Mice, Inbred BALB C	An inbred strain of mouse that is widely used in IMMUNOLOGY studies and cancer research.	BALB C Mice, Inbred,BALB C Mouse, Inbred,Inbred BALB C Mice,Inbred BALB C Mouse,Mice, BALB C,Mouse, BALB C,Mouse, Inbred BALB C,BALB C Mice,BALB C Mouse
D009693	Nucleic Acid Hybridization	Widely used technique which exploits the ability of complementary sequences in single-stranded DNAs or RNAs to pair with each other to form a double helix. Hybridization can take place between two complimentary DNA sequences, between a single-stranded DNA and a complementary RNA, or between two RNA sequences. The technique is used to detect and isolate specific sequences, measure homology, or define other characteristics of one or both strands. (Kendrew, Encyclopedia of Molecular Biology, 1994, p503)	Genomic Hybridization,Acid Hybridization, Nucleic,Acid Hybridizations, Nucleic,Genomic Hybridizations,Hybridization, Genomic,Hybridization, Nucleic Acid,Hybridizations, Genomic,Hybridizations, Nucleic Acid,Nucleic Acid Hybridizations
D010954	Plasmacytoma	Any discrete, presumably solitary, mass of neoplastic PLASMA CELLS either in BONE MARROW or various extramedullary sites.	Plasma Cell Tumor,Plasmocytoma,Plasma Cell Tumors,Plasmacytomas,Plasmocytomas,Tumor, Plasma Cell,Tumors, Plasma Cell
D002460	Cell Line	Established cell cultures that have the potential to propagate indefinitely.	Cell Lines,Line, Cell,Lines, Cell
D004247	DNA	A deoxyribonucleotide polymer that is the primary genetic material of all cells. Eukaryotic and prokaryotic organisms normally contain DNA in a double-stranded state, yet several important biological processes transiently involve single-stranded regions. DNA, which consists of a polysugar-phosphate backbone possessing projections of purines (adenine and guanine) and pyrimidines (thymine and cytosine), forms a double helix that is held together by hydrogen bonds between these purines and pyrimidines (adenine to thymine and guanine to cytosine).	DNA, Double-Stranded,Deoxyribonucleic Acid,ds-DNA,DNA, Double Stranded,Double-Stranded DNA,ds DNA