Evolution of antibody variable region structure during the immune response.

The results reviewed above reveal that during the anti-Ars immune response of strain A mice a somatic process that results in the evolution of V region structure occurs. This process involves both the selection of V regions encoded by particular gene segment combinations as well as the selection of structural variants of these V regions produced by somatic mutation as the immune response progresses. As a result, both quantitative and qualitative changes in the V region population initially elicited by immunization take place. The structural and functional character of the immune V region repertoire appears to be largely determined by this process of "somatic evolution" occurring in the primary response.