Abstract
SignificanceJawless vertebrates, lampreys and hagfish, use three types of variable leucine-rich repeat proteins as antigen receptors: VLRB on B-like cells and VLRA or VLRC on T-like lymphocytes. In their incomplete germline status, theVLRBgenes in different lamprey species uniquely possess long noncoding intervening regions, which contain different sets of transposable elements and potential donor cassettes. Phylogenetic analysis of the germlineVLRgenes reveals ongoing evolution over the last 250 million y. Comparative assessment of genomic sequences in two lamprey species yields a detailed map of theirVLRBloci. The use of this map, together with an analysis of cassette usage in a large repertoire of expressedVLRBs, supports a fragmented Lego-like model ofVLRBassembly.
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