Characterization of a Carcharhinus plumbeus immunoglobulin heavy chain gene

Abstract

Toward developing a comprehensive understanding of the molecular origins and changes to the recombining segmental antibody gene, I submit the present examination of the changes in immunoglobulin heavy chain coding segments over the 180-million year span separating carcharine from horned sharks. In this study, nucleic acid sequences from Carcharhinus plumbeus (sandbar shark) immunoglobulin heavy chain constant and post-Joining regions are given along with a restriction map showing the arrangement of these components within a single genomic heavy chain fragment. These sequences and map are compared with those from the horned shark, Heterodontus francisci and the nurse shark, Ginglymostoma cirratum. Shark immunoglobulin nucleic acid segments are also compared with known sequences of rat and skate, and corresponding amino acid sequences aligned with those of toad, chicken, mouse and man.