Immunoglobulin Diversity - 6
Some
Nice-to-Know Information:
eOnce a L or H chain gene is assembled and becomes functional
further gene arrangements are prevented within the same B
cell
Žthus antigen specificity is maintained
Žthis antigen specificity is passed on to progeny
Žthe progeny will also have the same light chain types (6 or 8)
eHeavy chains may undergo rearrangement during
clonal development resulting in progeny with different
classes of immunoglobulins (class switching)
eSlight changes in the tail end of constant region
of heavy
chains also determines whether the Ig is attached to the
surface
or released into circulation.
