Gene: [IGH/14q3233] immunoglobulin, heavy subunit, CON-J-DIV-VAR minigenes; (@IGHC @IGHDIV @IGHJ @IGHV)


SUM

[1] Loci coding for the proteins of the extensive immunoglobulin family are characterized by the most complex structure that reflects extremely variable (with respect to amino acid sequence) structure of the proteins themselves. One of the higher levels of the Ig molecule structural hierarchy is represented by the tetrameric organization of two heavy (H) and two light (L) subunits. This level has a variety of types of H- (alpha, gamma, delta, epsilon, and mu) and L- (kappa= K and lambda= L) polypeptides. Some types, in turn, are subdivided: two subtypes of H-alpha and four ones of H-gamma peptides are known.
[2] The monomeric level itself is complex, too, due to subdividing the polypeptide into the 'constant' (CON) and the 'variable' (VAR) regions. These regions are encoded by the respective CON and VAR genes. As far as CON gene is concerned, the next (exon/intron) level of structural subdivision is the final one (in terms of the principal hierarchic levels); however in the case of VAR region, one more intermediate subdivision level exists, the subdivision into the 'deletion-junctional' (DY and J) regions and the 'variable' (VH, VK, and VL) monomer regions per se. DY, J, and V minigenes are presented in multiple copies.
[3] This multiplicity of copies reflects the process of repeated duplications of a small number of ancestral nucleotide sequences, which have undergone numerous recombinations, convertions, and mutations in the course of evolution. Ac a result, all these copies appear to be highly homologous and is subdivided into homology groups, within which the similarity is usually greater than that between different groups. Along with a great number of coding VAR minigenes, many pseudogenes are encountered (they are usually the processed, i.e. deprived of introns, minigenes, evolving via the reverse insertions of the cDNA copies of the processed RNA transcripts into genome). In some cases (e.g., H-VAR minigenes) individual groups of homologous sequences form tandem clusters, in other cases (e.g., L-kappa VAR minigenes, VK minigenes) segments from different homology groups are lumped in one cluster. As a rule, CON and VAR minigenes are tightly linked in a small chromosomal subsegment within one large cluster. Individual VAR pseudogenes are also found outside the major cluster, sometimes in other chromosomes.
[4] According to the most recent data (ref:Berman-1988), the complex locus IGH is spread on about 2.5 Mb in 14q32.33 and, in addition to ten CON genes, contains 100-200 VAR minigenes (both coding ones and pseudogenes); an approximate physical map of this regionis like this (summarized from a number of reports): SpeI-- 90 kb --SpeI NotI--- 670 kb ---NotI. Here VH minigenes belonging to homology groups I, II, III, IV, and V are located within a 570 kb NotI fragment; see FAM:IGHV/14q3233."

REL

FAM:IGK/02p12; FAM:IGLCJ/22q1121; FAM:IMM/00.0

REF

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