We have studied the effects of a four residue insertion into the FR3 loop of the heavy chain variable region from the anti-NP antibody Bl-8. The insertion mutant is obtained as secreted antibody without major defects in biosynthesis, indicating that antibody variable domains can accommodate length variation not only in complementarity determining regions (CDRs), but also in framework region (FR) loops. The Bl-8 antigen binding site is not affected by the change in a neighbouring loop. FR3 insertions represent a new method of antibody engineering with a potential to obtain strong antigen binding by designing additional antigen contacting residues.