Possible palindromes in immunoglobulin heavy-chain genes: Their role in membrane attachment.

An analysis of mRNA structures as deduced from the amino acid sequences of immunoglobulin heavy chains reveals possible base-paired regions within the sequences coding for the 20 C-terminal amino acids of the human μ and α chains. The two regions are similar in structure and contain a palindrome which might serve as an enzyme recognition site. Although other base-paired regions can be predicted in the remainder of the constant regions of these heavy chains, they have no common features. These regions and the palindromes within them may be involved in the regulation of membrane and serum immunoglobulin synthesis. Two possible mechanisms for this are proposed.