Pathogenic light chains and the B-cell repertoire

Dysfunctional immunoglobulins (Igs) that are prone to aggregation are unavoidably generated by the diverse repertoire of B cells. Here, Fred Stevens and Yair Argon analyse the patterns of mutations that lead to pathological Igs, account for non-random mutations in human Ig sequences and suggest the exertion of selective forces, which contribute to determining and limiting the Ig repertoire.