Light-Chain Gene Expression before Heavy-Chain Gene Rearrangement in Pre-B Cells Transformed by Epstein--Barr Virus

• Published in: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS Vol. 86; no. 7; pp. 2356 - 2360
• Main Authors: Kubagawa, Hiromi, Cooper, Max D., Carroll, Andrew J., Burrows, Peter D.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 01.04.1989; National Acad Sciences
• Subjects: Antibodies, Monoclonal; B lymphocytes; B-Lymphocytes - immunology; Biological and medical sciences; Bone Marrow - immunology; Cell lines; Cell Transformation, Viral; Cells, Cultured; Cellular immunity; Cultured cells; DNA probes; Fetus; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gene expression; Gene rearrangement; Gene Rearrangement, B-Lymphocyte, Heavy Chain; Genes, Immunoglobulin; Genetic loci; Herpesvirus 4, Human - genetics; Herpesvirus 4, Human - immunology; Humans; Immunoglobulin genes; Immunoglobulin kappa-Chains - genetics; Immunoglobulin Light Chains - genetics; Immunoglobulins; Immunoglobulins - biosynthesis; Molecular and cellular biology; Molecular genetics; Phenotype; Plasma cells; Gammaherpesvirinae; Human; Herpesviridae; Gene organization; Epstein Barr virus; Gene expression; Cell transformation; Precursor; Virus; B»-Lymphocyte; Northern blotting; Immunogenetics; Kappa light-Peptide chain; Gene; Gene rearrangement; Bone marrow; Fetus; Immunofluorescence; Southern blotting; Clone
• ISSN: 0027-8424; 1091-6490
• DOI: 10.1073/pnas.86.7.2356

Epstein--Barr virus transformation of B-cell-depleted bone marrow cells from human fetuses allowed us to identify novel cell types characterized by the expression of immunoglobulin κ or λ light chain without heavy chains. Four κ -only clones with normal karyotype were obtained and examined for their immunoglobulin gene configurations and expression. All four clones had κ -chain gene rearrangements at either one or both alleles, but the heavy-chain gene loci in these clones either were in germ-line context or had undergone only D--JH rearrangements (D and JH represent diversity and joining gene segments). All clones contained κ mRNA of normal size at levels consistent with the protein level, except for one clone that no longer produced κ protein. No μ mRNA or immunoglobulin heavy-chain molecules were detected in any of the κ + clones. The results suggest that the μ heavy-chain protein is not an obligatory prerequisite for light-chain gene rearrangements.