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Targeted disruption of µ chain membrane exon causes loss of heavy-chain allelic exclusion

Nature volume 356, pages 154–156 (1992)Cite this article

Abstract

BURNET'S clonal selection theory1 suggests that each B lymphocyte is committed to a single antibody specificity. This is achieved by a programme of somatic rearrangements of the gene segments encoding antibody variable (V) regions, in the course of B-cell development2,3. Evidence from immunoglobulin-transgenic mice and immunoglobulin-gene-transfected transformed pre-B cells suggests that the membrane form of the immunoglobulin heavy (H) chain of class µ (µm), expressed from a rearranged H-chain (IgH) locus, may signal allelic exclusion of the homologous IgH locus in the cell4–6 and initiation of light (L)-chain gene rearrangement in the Ig/c loci6. We report here that targeted disruption of the membrane exon of the µ chain indeed results in the loss of H-chain allelic exclusion. But, some K chain gene rearrangement is still observed in the absence of µm expression.

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Author notes

  1. Daisuke Kitamura

    Present address: Medical Institute of Biroegulation, Kyushu University, Maidashi 3-1-1, Higashi-Ku, Fukuoka, Japan

  2. Klaus Rajewsky: To whom correspondence should be addressed.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Genetics, University of Cologne, Weyertal 121, D-5000, Cologne, 41, Germany

    Daisuke Kitamura & Klaus Rajewsky

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  1. Daisuke Kitamura
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  2. Klaus Rajewsky
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Kitamura, D., Rajewsky, K. Targeted disruption of µ chain membrane exon causes loss of heavy-chain allelic exclusion. Nature 356, 154–156 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1038/356154a0

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