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Antibody diversity in lower vertebrates—why is it so restricted?

Nature volume 296, pages 311–313 (1982)Cite this article

Abstract

Recent studies have revealed that lower vertebrates such as fish, amphibians and reptiles have an antibody repertoire that is much less diverse than that of mammals. It is suggested that the various mechanisms generating antibody diversity are the same in all vertebrates but that non-immunological parameters such as mode of ontogenetic development and cell cycle properties allow fewer somatic events in generating the antibody repertoire of cold-blooded vertebrates.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Basel Institute for Immunology, Grenzacherstrasse 487, Basel, CH-4005, Switzerland

    Louis Du Pasquier

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  1. Louis Du Pasquier
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Pasquier, L. Antibody diversity in lower vertebrates—why is it so restricted?. Nature 296, 311–313 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1038/296311a0

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