IMMUNOGLOBULIN ISOANTIGENS (ALLOTYPES) IN THE MOUSE

Abstract

Further analysis of the isoantigens (allotypes) of 2 classes of normal mouse immunoglobulins, γG_2a and γG_2b, has shown a minimum of 10 specificities for the Ig-1 locus (controlling γG_2a-antigens) and 3 specificities for the Ig-3 locus (controlling γG_2b-antigens). Three γG₂-myeloma proteins of plasma cell tumors induced in (NZB x BALB/c)F₁ mice have been analyzed for the isoantigens they carry. NZB mice are genotypically Ig-1^e Ig-3^e, while BALB/c are Ig-1^a Ig-3^a. Two of the myeloma proteins are γG_2a-globulins. One of these, GPC-7, carries all the isoantigenic specificities of the Ig-1^e allele while the other, GPC-8, carries all the isoantigenic specificities of the Ig-1^a allele. Thus only one of the parental alleles of the mouse in which the tumor arose is expressed in each of these myeloma proteins. The third myeloma protein GPC-5, also carries the antigens of only one parental strain (NZB). However GPC-5, a γG_2b-globulin, carries only one of the Ig-3 specificities normally associated with γG_2b-globulins of NZB. Most remarkably it also carries one Ig-1 specificity normally associated with γG_2a-globulins of NZB. This is the first analyzed mouse myeloma shown (a) to express some but not all the antigenic specificities normally associated with an allele and (b) to carry antigenic specificities controlled by two distinct immunoglobulin loci. The implications of these findings are discussed in relation to the genetic control of immunoglobulins.