Localization of antibody-combining sites within the variable portions of heavy and light chains.

The Fab'-fragment of a mouse IgA-myeloma (protein-315) was split by pepsin to yield a smaller fragment that retained the anti-2,4-dinitrophenyl activity of the intact protein. This fragment, which we call Fv, has a molecular weight of about 30,000 (half that of Fab'), and is composed of two polypeptide chains (molecular weight 14,000) held together by noncovalent bonds. The N-terminal sequence of Fv suggests that it is composed of the N-terminal half of Fab', and consists of the variable portions of the heavy and light chains. Since Fv has about one binding site with the same association constant as Fab', this experiment provides direct evidence that the antibody site in this protein is contained entirely in the variable portion, and is independent of the constant portion, of the molecule.