Swine use a reverse order of immunoglobulin chain rearrangement compared to humans and mice, and this altered and modified order should have measurable consequences. Here we perform new and defining experiments with developing and mature B cells, characterizing the B cell populations that do not exist in other species. First, we have finally confirmed that light chains κ and λ are rearranged and expressed on the surface before any heavy chain rearrangements using western-blot. And second, we have analyzed a pool of mature B cells on the single-cell level to demonstrate that many κ+ mature B cells carry λ transcripts. According to these findings, we believe that there may be more groups of mammals; one of which uses a pre-BCR-driven developmental pathway for B cell generation (like mice and humans), the second group uses a pre-BCR-independent one (like swine), and some may be even intermediate.

Laboratory of Gnotobiology Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences Novy Hradek Czech Republic

References provided by Crossref.org

Modified live vaccine strains of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus cause immune system dysregulation similar to wild strains

Comparative Aspects of Immunoglobulin Gene Rearrangement Arrays in Different Species