Abstract
In order to distinguish among various models which have been advanced to account for the diversity of antibody molecules, we must know how the constant and variable regions of immunoglobulins are represented in the somatic genome. For this purpose, we have purified mRNA corresponding to a mouse kappa immunoglobulin light chain from the myeloma tumor, MOPC-41. This mRNA directs the enzymatic synthesis of highly radioactive DNA (cDNA). This cDNA, which should correspond to the constant region of the kappa chain, was assessed for reiteration frequency using hybridization kinetic analysis and was found to be represented approximately three times per haploid genome. This result tends to rule out germ line hypotheses which require many copies of the constant region gene. It also requires the postulation of a recombinational mechanism to join constant and variable region sequences.
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