The Genetics of the Immune Response

• Published in: Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences Biological sciences, 1966-11, Vol.166 (1003), p.222-231
• Main Author: Lennox, E. S.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Antibodies; Antibody Formation; Antigens; Binding sites; Genetics; Immune response; Immunoglobulins; Inbred strains; Medical genetics; Mice; Orthomyxoviridae; Transponders
• ISSN: 0080-4649; 0950-1193; 2053-9193
• DOI: 10.1098/rspb.1966.0095

In the preceding paper, Dr Ondin discussed the genetic control of features of the immunoglobulins that characterize them as antigens. This focuses attention principally on parts that do not include the specific combining site of the antibody molecule, for their characterization as antigens reflects properties of the constant regions of the component light and heavy chains. In contrast, this paper is concerned with the genetic control of the portions of the immunoglobulin molecules responsible for their properties as antibody—that is on the portions responsible for specific combination with an antigenic determinant—presumably the variable portions of the component chains of those molecules. The immunoglobulins present such a fascinating genetic problem because we are not accustomed to observing such a seemingly endless variety of combining specificities imprinted on such a closely similar group of proteins. Enzymes as a group show an enormous range of exquisite specificities, but even in one organism or one tissue, as the specificity of the enzyme changes, the character of the protein changes completely. The situation with the immunoglobulins is quite different. Their constant regions fall, as Dr Oudin has told you, into about half a dozen classes based on their serological characteristics and other structural features. As far as is known, the specificities as antibodies appear in all classes without restriction.