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The surrogate light chain in B-cell development
F Melchers1, H Karasuyama, D Haasner
1Basel Institute for Immunology, Switzerland.
Immunology Today
|February 1, 1993
Abstract:
The proteins encoded by the VpreB and lambda 5 genes associate with each other to form a light (L) chain-like structure, the surrogate L chain. It can form Ig-like complexes with three partners-the classical heavy (H) chain, the DHJHC mu-protein, or the newly discovered p55 chain; these are expressed on the surface of pre-B cells at different stages of development. Here, Fritz Melchers and colleagues review the structures of the VpreB and lambda 5 genes in mouse and their relatives in humans, describe their pattern of expression, and speculate on their possible evolution and functions.