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1: Nature. 1991 Aug 29;352(6338):777-81.Click here to read Links

The B-cell antigen receptor of the five immunoglobulin classes.

MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK.

Several proteins associate with surface IgM to form the antigen receptor. We show that just two, the alpha and beta associated chains, are sufficient to reconstitute an IgM surface receptor in fibroblasts. Contrary to expectation, a common alpha chain associates with all five immunoglobulin classes. We propose that B-cell antigen receptors consist of a common alpha/beta heterodimer associated with each immunoglobulin class. But the classes differ both in the glycosylation of their associated alpha chain and in their dependence on alpha/beta for surface transport.

PMID: 1881434 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]