Human immunoglobulin heavy-chain minilocus recombination in transgenic mice: gene-segment use in micro and gamma transcripts

The analysis of the expression of a human immunoglobulin heavy-chain minilocus in transgenic mice was reported. The transgenic minilocus is expressed in mice in a manner analogous to that of the human heavy-chain complex. The repertoire was fetal in appearance with the absence of somatic mutation. It was found that the two heavy-chain variable gene segments rearranged to micro- and gamma-chain constant segments. The functional gene segment is rearranged more frequently than the pseudogene. Thus, it was shown that the functional gene segment can undergo a class-switch.