Variable amplification of immunoglobulin lambda light-chain genes in human populations

The human lambda immunoglobulin locus displays a series of restriction fragment length polymorphisms that are readily detected in small populations of normal individuals. Similar polymorphisms appear in populations of wild mice, suggesting that the lambda locus is subject to rapid variation within a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inNature (London) Vol. 304; no. 5922; p. 172
Main Authors Taub, R A, Hollis, G F, Hieter, P A, Korsmeyer, S, Waldmann, T A, Leder, P
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published England 14.07.1983
Subjects
Base Composition
Base Sequence
Chromosome Deletion
Cloning, Molecular
DNA Restriction Enzymes
Gene Amplification
Genes
Humans
Immunoglobulin Constant Regions - genetics
Immunoglobulin lambda-Chains - genetics
Immunoglobulin Light Chains - genetics
Nucleic Acid Hybridization
Polymorphism, Genetic
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Summary:The human lambda immunoglobulin locus displays a series of restriction fragment length polymorphisms that are readily detected in small populations of normal individuals. Similar polymorphisms appear in populations of wild mice, suggesting that the lambda locus is subject to rapid variation within a single species. Here we show that the polymorphisms seen in the human lambda locus seem to have arisen from unequal meiotic crossing over, altering the number of lambda from as few as six to as many as nine per haploid genome. This expansion and contraction in the number of human lambda genes is significant in that it may affect an individual's capacity to produce variation among lambda light chain genes.
ISSN:0028-0836
DOI:10.1038/304172a0