The human VK locus: characterization of a duplicated region encoding 28 different immunoglobulin genes

Two large regions of the human multigene family coding for the variable parts of the immunoglobulin light chains of the K type (VK) have been characterized on cosmid clones. The two germline regions, called Aa and Ab, span together 250,000 base-pairs and comprise 28 different VK gene segments, nine...

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Published inJournal of molecular biology Vol. 199; no. 1; pp. 23 - 34
Main Authors STRAUBINGER, B, HUBER, E, LORENZ, W, OSTERHOLZER, E, PARGENT, W, PECH, M, POHLENZ, H.-D, ZIMMER, F.-J, ZACHAU, H. G
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Oxford Elsevier 05.01.1988
Subjects
Base Sequence
Biological and medical sciences
Chromosome Mapping
DNA
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Gene Expression
Genes
Genes. Genome
Genetic Linkage
Humans
Immunoglobulins - genetics
Molecular and cellular biology
Molecular genetics
Molecular Sequence Data
Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid
Transcription, Genetic
Characterization
Human
Immunoglobulins
Gene
Variable region
light-Peptide chain
Gene organization
Primary structure
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Summary:Two large regions of the human multigene family coding for the variable parts of the immunoglobulin light chains of the K type (VK) have been characterized on cosmid clones. The two germline regions, called Aa and Ab, span together 250,000 base-pairs and comprise 28 different VK gene segments, nine of which have been sequenced. There is a preponderance of VKII genes but genes belonging to subgroups I and III, and genes that cannot be easily assigned to one of the known subgroups, are interspersed within the VKII gene clusters. A number of pseudogenes have been identified. Within the Aa and Ab regions, all gene segments are organized in the same transcriptional orientation. The regions Aa and Ab, whose restriction maps are highly homologous, were shown not to be allelic structures; they must have arisen by a duplication event. Taken together with previous results, one can conclude that the major part of the VK locus exists in duplicated form. One individual has been found who has only one copy of some of the duplicated regions. By chromosomal walking, the A regions could be linked to the O regions, an analysis of which has been reported. The A regions contribute about one-third of the VK genes so far identified.
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ISSN:0022-2836
1089-8638
DOI:10.1016/0022-2836(88)90376-2