Abstract
There is now substantial evidence that a small group of V genes predominates in the Ig repertoire of preimmune B cells. This phenomenon of V gene restriction may reflect preferential accessibility of these genes to recombinase, homology-directed V gene rearrangement, promoters and enhancers of V gene transcription, or positive and negative selection mediated by the anti-self binding properties of the B cells surface Ig. These mechanisms may operate alone or in combination to influence V gene rearrangement and populations of immature B cells. Although constraints on the pool of rearranged V genes may seem disadvantageous to the immune system, the mechanisms that generate the CDR3s of heavy and light chains ensure extensive diversity in the pre-B-cell population. In mature B cells, somatic mutation of V genes adds further diversity. CDR3 sequences and somatic mutations not only provide potentially useful clonal markers but also help to identify the normal counterparts of malignant B cells.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 1717-1730 |
Number of pages | 14 |
Journal | Blood |
Volume | 83 |
Issue number | 7 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Apr 1 1994 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Biochemistry
- Immunology
- Hematology
- Cell Biology