Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

Chance, necessity and antibody gene dynamics

Nature volume 303, pages 23–26 (1983)Cite this article

Abstract

Early in their development B lymphocytes commit themselves to the expression of only one immunoglobulin light-chain gene and only one heavy-chain gene out of the large numbers of available loci. Here I shall present the view that the initial selection of loci for expression is made by chance, whereas the exclusion of other loci from expression is a necessity imposed by the physiology of lymphocyte development.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Rent or buy this article

Get just this article for as long as you need it

$39.95

Learn more

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

References

  1. Pernis, B., Chiappino, G., Kelus, A. S. & Gell, P. G. H. J. exp. Med. 122, 853–875 (1965).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Weiler, E. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 54, 1765–1772 (1965).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Cebra, J. J., Colberg, J. E. & Dray, S. J. exp. Med. 123, 547–556 (1966).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Bernier, G. M. & Cebra, J. J. Science 144, 1590–1591 (1964).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Pernis, B. & Chiappino, G. Immunology 7, 500–510 (1964).

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  6. Fridenberg, H. H., Pink, J. R. L., Stites, D. D. & Wang, A.-C. in Basic Immunogenetics 86–95 (Oxford University Press, 1972).

    Google Scholar 

  7. Hozumi, N. & Tonegawa, S. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 73, 3928–3632 (1976).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  8. Wilson, R., Miller, J. O. & Storb, U. Biochemistry 18, 6013–5021 (1979).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Perry, R. P. et al. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 77, 1937–1941 (1980).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Adams, J. M. Immun. Today 1, 10–17 (1980).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Adams, J. M. et al. Immun. Rev. 59, 5–32 (1981).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Altenburger, W., Steinmetz, M. & Zachau, H. Nature 287, 603–607 (1980).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Max, E. E., Seidman, J. G., Miller, H. & Leder, P. Cell 21, 793–799 (1980).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Kwan, S.-P., Max, E. E., Seidman, J. G., Leder, P. & Scharff, M. D. Cell 26, 57–66 (1981).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Bernard, O., Gough, N. M. & Adams, J. M. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 78, 5812–5816 (1981).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Perry, R. P., Coleclough, C. & Weigert, M. Cold Spring Harb. Symp. quant. Biol. 45, 925–933 (1981).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Alt, F. W., Enea, V., Bothwell, A. L. M. & Baltimore, D. Cell 21, 1–12 (1980).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Coleclough, C., Perry, R. P., Karjalainen, K. & Weigert, M. Nature 290, 372–378 (1981).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Hieter, P. A., Korsmeyer, S. J., Waldmann, T. A. & Leder, P. Nature 290, 368–372 (1981).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Lewis, S., Rosenberg, N., Alt, F. & Baltimore, D. Cell 30, 807–816 (1982).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Osmond, D. G. & Nossal, G. J. V. Cell. Immun. 13, 132–140 (1974).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. DeFreitas, A. A. & Coutinho, A. J. exp. Med. 154, 994–999 (1981).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Van Ness, B., Coleclough, C., Perry, R. P. & Weigert, M. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 79, 262–266 (1982).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Walfield, A. M., Storb, V., Selsing, E. & Zentraf, H. Nucleic Acids Res. 8, 4689–4706 (1980).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Kirsch, I. R., Morton, C. C., Nakahara, K. & Leder, P. Science 216, 301–303 (1982).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. Rowley, J. D. Science 216, 749–751 (1982).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Harris, L. J., Lang, R. B. & Marcu, K. B. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 79, 4175–4179 (1982).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Korsemeyer, S. J. et al. J. exp. Med. 156, 975–985 (1982).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. Teale, J. M. Immun. Today 3, 62–63 (1982).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  30. Maki, R., Kearney, J., Paige, C. & Tonegawa, S. Science 209, 1366–1369 (1981).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  31. Perry, R. P., Kelley, D. E., Coleclough, C. & Kearney, J. F. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 78, 247–251 (1981).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  32. Alt, F., Rosenberg, N., Lewis, S., Thomas, E. & Baltimore, D. Cell 27, 381–390 (1981).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  33. Hurwitz, J. L., Coleclough, C. & Cebra, J. J. Cell 22, 349–359 (1980).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  34. Nottenburg, C. & Weissmann, I. L. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 78, 484–488 (1981).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  35. Cory, S., Gough, N. M., Webb, E. & Adams, J. M. Biochemistry 20, 2662–2671 (1981).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  36. Sakano, H., Kurosawa, Y., Weigert, M. & Tonegawa, S. Nature 290, 562–565 (1981).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  37. Baltimore, D., Rosenberg, N. & Witte, O. N. Immun. Rev. 48, 3–22 (1979).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  38. Lewis, S., Rosenburg, N., Alt, F. & Baltimore, D. Cell 30, 807 (1982).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  39. Kurosawa, Y. et al. Nature 290, 565–570 (1981).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  40. Kronenberg, M., Davis, M. M., Early, P. W., Hood, L. E. & Watson, J. D. J. exp. Med. 152, 1745–1761 (1980).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  41. Elliot, B. W., Eisen, H. N. & Steiner, L. A. Nature 299, 559–561 (1982).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  42. Marcu, K. B. Cell 29, 719–721 (1982).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Roche Institute of Molecular Biology, Nutley, New Jersey, 07110, USA

    Christopher Coleclough

Authors
  1. Christopher Coleclough
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Coleclough, C. Chance, necessity and antibody gene dynamics. Nature 303, 23–26 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1038/303023a0

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/303023a0

This article is cited by

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing