Antibody diversity in trouts obtained by gynogenesis or self-fertilization. Comparative analysis of the heavy chain...

Conventionnal (C) trouts and trouts obtained by gynogenesis (G) or self-fertilization (SF) were immunized with DNP-KLH and anti-DNP antibodies were individually purified by affinity chromatography. The isolated IgM-like antibodies were separated by an iso-electrofocusing technique in reducing conditions and electroblotted onto nitrocellulose. The transfers were probed with a mouse monoclonal antibody specific for trout heavy (H) antibody chain and revealed with a rabbit anti-mouse IgG horse-radish peroxydase conjugate. When comparing the IEF H chain spectrotypes of C, G and SF trouts, it was observed that individual C spectrotypes are more different between themselves than G and SF spectrotypes, and that individual SF spectrotypes were less heterogeneous than C or G ones. These results suggest that in trout, inbreeding induces a reduction of antibody diversity and heterogeneity. The inheritance of antibody repertoire might be taken in account in the inbreeding selection schedules for fish of economical interest.