HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Request Permissions Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Miller, R. D. Articles by Rosenberg, G. H. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Miller, R. D. Articles by Rosenberg, G. H. Pubmed/NCBI databases Gene Protein UniGene

V_H Repertoire of a Marsupial (Monodelphis domestica)^1,2

Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131

When contrasted with information available for placental mammals, very little is known about the development of immunocompetence in marsupials. Marsupials, however, provide interesting immunology problems, since most appear to be born at a stage of development much less mature than that of placental mammals. To further understand the marsupial immune system, the Ig repertoire of the short-tailed opossum, Monodelphis domestica, was characterized. The majority of the V_H clones were isolated in an unbiased manner by screening a spleen cDNA phage library, using C region probes, or anchored PCR, using C region-specific primers paired with vector specific primers. Analysis of 54 unique V_H sequences from this marsupial revealed the presence of two V_H families in the expressed Ig repertoire. The larger family, which contributed the majority of the clones identified, appears to be derived from 10 to 12 germline V_H segments. The second family of clones is derived from a single germline V_H. Both V_H families are related to the group III sequences described in other vertebrates. Unusual codon bias differences between the two families may result in very different patterns of somatic mutation within the opossum Ig repertoire.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				M. L. Baker, K. Belov, and R. D. Miller Unusually Similar Patterns of Antibody V Segment Diversity in Distantly Related Marsupials J. Immunol., May 1, 2005; 174(9): 5665 - 5671. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. Johansson, M. Aveskogh, B. Munday, and L. Hellman Heavy Chain V Region Diversity in the Duck-Billed Platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus): Long and Highly Variable Complementarity-Determining Region 3 Compensates for Limited Germline Diversity J. Immunol., May 15, 2002; 168(10): 5155 - 5162. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				F. M. Adamski and J. Demmer Two Stages of Increased IgA Transfer During Lactation in the Marsupial, Trichosurus vulpecula (Brushtail Possum) J. Immunol., May 15, 1999; 162(10): 6009 - 6015. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. E. Lucero, G. H. Rosenberg, and R. D. Miller Marsupial Light Chains: Complexity and Conservation of {lambda} in the Opossum Monodelphis domestica J. Immunol., December 15, 1998; 161(12): 6724 - 6732. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]