Germ‐line origin of functional idiotypic interactions: Identification of two idiotypically connected, natural antibodies that are encoded by germ‐line gene elements

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Abstract
Two monoclonal, natural IgM antibodies derived from normal BALB/c mice were selected on the basis of being idiotypically complementary and functionally connected. Nucleotide sequence analysis of their respective heavy and light chain V regions showed that both of the clones expressed VH, D, JH, VL and JL gene segments of germ‐line origin. Furthermore, none of the clones displayed N‐sequence additions. These data suggest a germ‐line origin of a functional idiotypic network and confirm a minimized contribution of somatic diversification through template‐independent addition of N‐nucleotides in neonatal B cell repertoires.