Allotypic markers of rabbit IgM

摘要

AbstractFive different allotypic specificities called Ms1 to Ms5 were identified in rabbit sera by agar gel precipitation with the use of antisera developed in the same species.Immunoelectrophoresis and investigation of purified immunoglobulin classes have shown that these allotypes are on IgM molecules.The cellular localization of these allotypes has been studied by immunofluorescence on rabbit plasma cells; numerous double‐staining experiments with different antisera have confirmed the presence of these allotypes in IgM synthesizing plasma cells.One allotype, Ms3, has been shown to be strictly limited to the IgM plasma cells containing theblocus allotype As4, while for allotypes Ms4 and Ms5 the expression in plasma cells appeared to be connected with the expression of thealocus allotypes. This last condition also applied to allotype Ms6, an IgM allotype which was demonstrated by the immunofluorescence studies only.The observations performed are consistent with the hypothesis that allotype Ms3 is in fact an allotype of the κ‐light chains which is expressed only when these chains are part of an IgM molecule, while allotypes Ms4, Ms5 and Ms6 are true markers of the μ‐chain. This hypothesis is also supported by absorption experiments performed with separated heavy and light chains of rab