Variable regions/segments

Matsuda, E, Shin, E.K., Hirabayashi, Y., et al. (1990). Organization of variable region segments of the human immunoglobulin heavy chain, duplication of the D5 cluster within the locus and interchromosomal translocation of variable region segments. EMBO J., 9, 2501-2506. 

Somatic hypermutation High frequency of mutation that occurs in the gene segments encoding the variable regions of antibodies during the differentiation of B lymphocytes into antibody-producing plasma cells. 

Schroeder, H.W., Walter, M.A., Hofker, M.F., et al. (1988). Physical linkage of a human immunoglobulin heavy chain variable region gene segment to diversity and joining region elements. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 85, 8196-8200. 

Variable regions have been termed expansion segments (insertions relative to the sequence in Escherichia coli), variable domains and divergent domains by different workers... 

Early, P., Huang, H., Davis, M., Calame, K., Hood, L. (1980a). An immunoglobulin heavy chain variable region gene is generated from three segments of DNA VH, D and JH. Cell 19,981-992. 

Livant, D., Blatt, C., Hood, L. (1986). One heavy chain variable region gene segment subfamily in the BALB/c mouse contains 500-1000 or more members. Cell 47,461-470. 

Weiss, S. Wu, G.E. (1987). Somatic point mutations in unrearranged immunoglobulin gene segments encoding the variable region of X light chains. EMBO J. 6, 927-932. 

Willems van Dijk, K., Milner, L.A., Sasso, E.H., Milner, E.C.B. (1992). Chromosomal organization of the heavy chain variable region gene segments comprising the human fetal antibody repertoire. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 89, 10430-10434. 

Fig. 2. The light chain variable region is encoded by two separate gene segments, V and J. The heavy chain variable region is encoded by three gene segments, V, D and J.

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