Restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of the V kappa locus in human lupus.

To evaluate the degree of genetic polymorphism of the V kappa repertoire in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), we performed Southern blot hybridizations with human gene probes corresponding to the four human V kappa gene families. In a comparative analysis, non-lymphoid cell DNA samples from three patients with idiopathic SLE, eight subjects with susceptibility to drug-induced lupus and seven control individuals were digested with the restriction endonucleases Bam HI, Bg 1 II, Eco RI and Hind III, and hybridized sequentially to the four V kappa family-specific probes. The restriction patterns on Southern blots revealed a low degree of polymorphism of the human V kappa gene repertoires of SLE patients and control individuals. This analysis, together with previous parallel studies of the V kappa locus in lupus-prone mice, implies that autoantibody hyperproduction in lupus is not associated with major modifications in the structure or genomic organization of immunoglobulin light chain genes.