Expression of an immunoglobulin VH gene in natural anti‐hapten antibodies

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Abstract
Nonimmune sera of CBA and C57BL/6 mice had similar anti‐(4‐hydroxy‐3‐nitrophenyl)acetyl (NP) titers, but the fine specificities (relative affinities for cross‐reactive haptens (4‐hydroxy‐5‐iodo‐3‐nitrophenyl)acetyl (NIP) and (4‐hydroxy‐3,5‐dinitrophenyl)acetyl (NNP)) were very different. Natural anti‐NP antibodies of the C57BL/6 mice resembled immune anti‐NP antibodies in being heteroclitic without exception, while both normal and immune anti‐NP of the CBA mice were nonheteroclitic. Breeding studies suggested that the C57BL/6 trait of the natural antibodies was controlled by the same VH gene as the C57BL/6 trait of immune anti‐NP antibodies.