Abstract
THE major histocompatibility complex (MHC) of the mouse encompasses a number of distinct genetic loci the products of which are expressed on the surface of many types of cell (for review see ref. 1). Some of the gene products may be functionally and structurally related. This is in fact the case for the H-2K and H-2D histocompatibility antigens2, which are composed of two types of polypeptide chain3,4. The larger subunit has a molecular weight of about 50,000 and carries the alloantigenic structures5 whereas the smaller subunit has a molecular weight of about 12,000 and seems to be identical to β2-microglobulin3,4. In view of the involvement of the MHC in several immunological phenomena1 it is of particular interest that the amino acid sequence of β2-microglobulin is homologous with those of immunoglobulin G heavy and light chains6–10.
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OSTBERG, L., RASK, L., WIGZELL, H. et al. Thymus leukaemia antigen contains β2-microglobulin. Nature 253, 735–737 (1975). https://doi.org/10.1038/253735a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/253735a0
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