Stepwise intraclonal maturation of antibody affinity through somatic hypermutation

C Kocks; K Rajewsky

doi:10.1073/pnas.85.21.8206

Stepwise intraclonal maturation of antibody affinity through somatic hypermutation

Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1988 Nov;85(21):8206-10. doi: 10.1073/pnas.85.21.8206.

Authors

C Kocks¹, K Rajewsky

Affiliation

¹ Institute for Genetics, University of Cologne, Federal Republic of Germany.

Abstract

Using recombinant DNA techniques, we reconstructed a genealogical tree (Sablitzky, F., Wildner, G. & Rajewsky, K. (1985) EMBO J. 4, 345-350) that connects three clonally related B cells producing somatically mutated antibodies to a progenitor cell expressing a germ line-encoded antibody. The somatic mutants had been isolated from an in vivo immune response. The germ line-encoded progenitor antibody bound the antigen with high affinity. Intraclonal affinity maturation occurred stepwise over a 15-fold range.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Animals
Antibody Specificity*
B-Lymphocytes / immunology*
Base Sequence
Cell Differentiation
Cell Line
Clone Cells / immunology
DNA, Recombinant / analysis*
Immunoglobulin Variable Region / immunology*
Stem Cells / immunology
Transfection

Substances

DNA, Recombinant
Immunoglobulin Variable Region