Single germline VH and V kappa genes encode predominating antibody variable regions elicited in strain A mice by immunization with p-azophenylarsonate.

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Abstract
We have cloned and sequenced the predominant germline Vk gene segment expressed by B cells of strain A origin that synthesize antibodies with specificity for Ars. In hybridomas synthesizing anti-Ars antibodies, this Vk gene segment (VkIdCR) has been found exclusively associated with the Jk1 gene segment without exhibiting junctional sequence variation. Sequence comparisons of the germline VkIdCR gene with expressed derivatives reveals that the latter frequently contain somatically introduced amino acid replacements. Taken together with results of previous structural analyses (27), these results show that the predominant population of IdCR+ V regions elicited in the secondary immune response is encoded by one or two combinations of V gene segments, has little junctional diversity, and is extensively diversified by somatic mutation in both heavy and light chains.