Consequences of the different order of immunoglobulin gene rearrangements in swine

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 kappa and lambda 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 kappa+ mature B cells carry lambda 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.

Automated summary

Based on experiments that show differences in immunoglobulin chain rearrangement between pigs and other species, it is suggested that there may be more groups of mammals with varied developmental pathways for B cell generation.