The sequence of a human immunoglobulin epsilon heavy chain constant region gene, and evidence for three non-allelic genes.

An immunoglobulin epsilon heavy chain gene was isolated from a DNA library of the human epsilon chain-producing myeloma 266B1 , using a JH gene region probe. The gene was shown to be the one expressed in the myeloma by Southern hybridisation analysis and by comparison of nucleotide sequences with the known amino acid sequence of the epsilon chain made by the myeloma. The gene consists of a variable region segment separated from a constant region segment by a 3.5-kb intervening sequence. The complete sequence of the constant region gene segment shows that this segment is split by intervening sequences into four coding segments corresponding to the four constant region domains of the protein. Using the cloned epsilon constant region gene segment as a probe we obtained evidence, from Southern hybridisation analysis, for three non-allelic epsilon constant region genes. An order on the chromosome for these three genes can be predicted from their pattern of retention in myeloma 266B1 DNA.