Abstract
The sequences of four embryonic mouse immunoglobulin VH genes have been compared. All genes end at codon 98 and code for a hydrophobic signal peptide of 19 residues interrupted at codon -4 by an intron of 83 base pairs. Substitutions occur in all gene segments but at a significantly higher frequency in the hypervariable regions. The data suggest an evolutionary basis for the diversity of immunoglobulin genes. Divergence resulted also in a termination codon in two of the genes, suggesting that part of the V gene repertoire cannot be expressed unless some correction mechanism is available.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 426-430 |
Number of pages | 5 |
Journal | Nature |
Volume | 292 |
Issue number | 5822 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 1981 |
Externally published | Yes |