Light-chain gene expression before heavy-chain gene rearrangement in pre-B cells transformed by Epstein-Barr virus.

Epstein-Barr virus transformation of B-cell-depleted bone marrow cells from human fetuses allowed us to identify novel cell types characterized by the expression of immunoglobulin kappa or lambda light chain without heavy chains. Four kappa-only clones with normal karyotype were obtained and examined for their immunoglobulin gene configurations and expression. All four clones had kappa-chain gene rearrangements at either one or both alleles, but the heavy-chain gene loci in these clones either were in germ-line context or had undergone only D-JH rearrangements (D and JH represent diversity and joining gene segments). All clones contained kappa mRNA of normal size at levels consistent with the protein level, except for one clone that no longer produced kappa protein. No mu mRNA or immunoglobulin heavy-chain molecules were detected in any of the kappa+ clones. The results suggest that the mu heavy-chain protein is not an obligatory prerequisite for light-chain gene rearrangements.