In chicken immunoglobulin light chains (I think lambda) diversity
is generated by a "gene conversion-like" mechanism, in which sequence is
copied from "pseudogenes" into the one properly rearranged V region gene.
I don't know if this mechanism is used in other critters for Ig, but
it is intriguingly similar to the process of MHC diversification in both
humans and mice, though that takes place on an evolutionary scale.
--
Bob Horton /\ "Crash programs fail because of the theory that
U. of Minnesota, CBS || with nine women pregnant you get a baby a month"
1479 Gortner Ave. /||\ -Werner von Braun. Disclaimer:"Bob who?"
St. Paul, MN 55108 ^^ horton at molbio.cbs.umn.edu/(612) 624-3790
