Calculation of rates of immunologically determined accepted mutations (IDAM) for 6 primate plasma proteins

The possibility to estimate the rates of immunologically determined accepted mutations (IDAMs) in analogy to accepted point mutation (PAM) rates at the amino acid level is demonstrated for 6 primate plasma proteins. The comparative determinant analysis is described and compared with older techniques. The technique and its limitations are discussed as are the conditions a polypeptide region must fulfill to become an antigenic determinant binding to a specific antibody. IDAM rates obtained this way range between 0.70 and 8.35 per 100 residues and 100 million years. Comparisons between IDAM and PAM rates are given.