Variable (V) region gene replacement was recently implicated in B cell repertoire diversification, but the contribution of this mechanism to antibody responses is still unknown. To investigate the role of V gene replacements in the generation of antigen-specific antibodies, we analyzed antiviral immunoglobulin responses of “quasimonoclonal” (QM) mice. The B cells of QM mice are genetically committed to exclusively express the anti-(4-hydroxy-3-nitrophenyl) acetyl specificity. However, ∼20% of the peripheral B cells of QM mice undergo secondary rearrangements and thereby potentially acquire new specificities. QM mice infected with vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV), lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus, or poliovirus mounted virus-specific neutralizing antibody responses. In general, kinetics of the antiviral immunoglobulin responses were delayed in QM mice; however, titers similar to control animals were eventually produced that were sufficient to protect against VSV-induced lethal disease. VSV neutralizing single-chain Fv fragments isolated from phage display libraries constructed from QM mice showed VH gene replacements and extensive hypermutation. Thus, our data demonstrate that secondary rearrangements and hypermutation can generate sufficient B cell diversity in QM mice to mount protective antiviral antibody responses, suggesting that these mechanisms might also contribute to the diversification of the B cell repertoire of normal mice.
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7 June 1999
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June 07 1999
Secondary Rearrangements and Hypermutation Generate Sufficient B Cell Diversity to Mount Protective Antiviral Immunoglobulin Responses
Constantino López-Macías,
Constantino López-Macías
From the *Institute of Experimental Immunology, Department of Pathology, University Hospital, CH-8091 Zürich, Switzerland; and the ‡Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of California, San Francisco, California 94143-0670
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Ulrich Kalinke,
Ulrich Kalinke
From the *Institute of Experimental Immunology, Department of Pathology, University Hospital, CH-8091 Zürich, Switzerland; and the ‡Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of California, San Francisco, California 94143-0670
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Marilia Cascalho,
Marilia Cascalho
From the *Institute of Experimental Immunology, Department of Pathology, University Hospital, CH-8091 Zürich, Switzerland; and the ‡Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of California, San Francisco, California 94143-0670
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Matthias Wabl,
Matthias Wabl
From the *Institute of Experimental Immunology, Department of Pathology, University Hospital, CH-8091 Zürich, Switzerland; and the ‡Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of California, San Francisco, California 94143-0670
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Hans Hengartner,
Hans Hengartner
From the *Institute of Experimental Immunology, Department of Pathology, University Hospital, CH-8091 Zürich, Switzerland; and the ‡Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of California, San Francisco, California 94143-0670
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Rolf M. Zinkernagel,
Rolf M. Zinkernagel
From the *Institute of Experimental Immunology, Department of Pathology, University Hospital, CH-8091 Zürich, Switzerland; and the ‡Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of California, San Francisco, California 94143-0670
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Alain Lamarre
Alain Lamarre
From the *Institute of Experimental Immunology, Department of Pathology, University Hospital, CH-8091 Zürich, Switzerland; and the ‡Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of California, San Francisco, California 94143-0670
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Constantino López-Macías
From the *Institute of Experimental Immunology, Department of Pathology, University Hospital, CH-8091 Zürich, Switzerland; and the ‡Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of California, San Francisco, California 94143-0670
Ulrich Kalinke
From the *Institute of Experimental Immunology, Department of Pathology, University Hospital, CH-8091 Zürich, Switzerland; and the ‡Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of California, San Francisco, California 94143-0670
Marilia Cascalho
From the *Institute of Experimental Immunology, Department of Pathology, University Hospital, CH-8091 Zürich, Switzerland; and the ‡Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of California, San Francisco, California 94143-0670
Matthias Wabl
From the *Institute of Experimental Immunology, Department of Pathology, University Hospital, CH-8091 Zürich, Switzerland; and the ‡Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of California, San Francisco, California 94143-0670
Hans Hengartner
From the *Institute of Experimental Immunology, Department of Pathology, University Hospital, CH-8091 Zürich, Switzerland; and the ‡Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of California, San Francisco, California 94143-0670
Rolf M. Zinkernagel
From the *Institute of Experimental Immunology, Department of Pathology, University Hospital, CH-8091 Zürich, Switzerland; and the ‡Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of California, San Francisco, California 94143-0670
Alain Lamarre
From the *Institute of Experimental Immunology, Department of Pathology, University Hospital, CH-8091 Zürich, Switzerland; and the ‡Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of California, San Francisco, California 94143-0670
Address correspondence to Constantino López-Macías, Institute of Experimental Immunology, Department of Pathology, University Hospital, Schmelzbergstrasse 12, CH-8091 Zürich, Switzerland. Phone: 41-1-255-2989; Fax: 41-1-255-4420; E-mail: [email protected]
U. Kalinke's present address is EMBL Mouse Biology Programme, Adriano Buzzati-Traverso Campus, Via E. Ramarini 32, Monterotondo Scalo, I-00016 Rome, Italy.
Received:
March 14 1999
Online ISSN: 1540-9538
Print ISSN: 0022-1007
1999
J Exp Med (1999) 189 (11): 1791–1798.
Article history
Received:
March 14 1999
Citation
Constantino López-Macías, Ulrich Kalinke, Marilia Cascalho, Matthias Wabl, Hans Hengartner, Rolf M. Zinkernagel, Alain Lamarre; Secondary Rearrangements and Hypermutation Generate Sufficient B Cell Diversity to Mount Protective Antiviral Immunoglobulin Responses . J Exp Med 7 June 1999; 189 (11): 1791–1798. doi: https://doi.org/10.1084/jem.189.11.1791
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