Biochemical similarity of Ly-19, Ly-32, and Lyb-2 alloantigens encoded in the gene cluster on mouse chromosome 4.

Mouse lymphocyte alloantigens Ly-19 and Ly-32 are controlled by the genes tightly linked to the Lyb-2 locus on chromosome 4. Despite the similarity in mouse strain distribution patterns, Ly-19 and Ly-32 antigens which have been detected on both B- and T-cell lineages are distinct from Lyb-2 antigen whose expression is restricted to the B cells. In this report, the close linkage of these three loci was confirmed by the typings of three sets of recombinant inbred mice including BXD, CXS, and OXA. Furthermore, the biochemical characterization of these Lyb-2-linked proteins, i.e., Ly-19, Ly-32, and Lyb-2, demonstrated their similarities on a molecular level. Two polypeptides of 45,000 and 95,000 were the components of these three alloantigens. Furthermore, sequential immunoprecipitation experiments indicated that the three alloantigenic determinants were located on the same molecular components. These findings may provide insight into the complexities and functional roles of Lyb-2 gene-cluster products.