Evidence for close linkage of a mouse light chain marker with the Ly-2,3 locus.

Light chains associated with normal serum immunoglobulin can be resolved into a finite number of discrete focusing bands by isoelectric focusing. Four distinct light chain patterns can be distinguished among the inbred mouse strains. In the present studies inheritance of the characteristic light chain patterns has been studied in the AKXL recombinant inbred lines (derived from C57L/J and AKR/J parental lines) and in the inbred Ly-2a,3a congenic line B6.PL-Ly-2aLy-3a/Cy as well as in individual backcross animals of an incipient Ly-2a,3a congenic strain. Virtually complete concordance was observed for the expression of light chains characteristic of phenotype B (AKR-J-like) and the expression of the Ly-2a,3a allele. This observation indicates that a locus controlling light chain structure and/or expression is closely linked (less than 2.6 map units) to the Ly-2,3 locus on mouse Chromosome 6. The locus controlling normal light chain IF-patterns has been designated Ef1.