Mouse immunoglobulin heavy chains are coded by multiple germ line variable region genes.

The N-terminal 20 residues of 13 heavy immunoglobulin chains from myeloma protein of the BALB/c mouse are compared with the same residues of 15 other heavy chains described in the literature. Sixteen of 28 sequences are different from one another. These proteins fall into four major sets, with 18 of the proteins in the largest set being further divisible into at least five subsets. This pattern of diversity suggests there are at least eight germ line genes coding for the variable regions of mouse heavy chain. Many of the immunoglobulins from which these heavy chains are derived exhibit binding activity for various haptens. The differing hapten specificities are closely correlated with distinct primary amino-acid sequences.