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The β2-microglobulin gene is on chromosome 15 and not in the HL-A region

Nature volume 254, pages 267–269 (1975)Cite this article

Abstract

POSSIBLE evolutionary homology between the genetic regions controlling histocompatibility antigens (such as HL-A in man and H-2 in the mouse) and immunoglobulins has been proposed1,2. Recent studies involving β2-microglobulin (β2m) seem to support this idea. Human β2m was found originally in the urine of patients with renal tubular dysfunction. It is also present in serum and on the surface of most types of cell3,4. It has a molecular weight of about 12,000 and shows substantial sequence homology with the constant region domains of immunoglobulin heavy chains5,6. Partially purified papain7,8 and detergent9 solubilised HL-A molecules, and H-2 molecules10, consist of two chains one of which is invariant and has been identified as β2m11–13. Chance association during the isolation procedure has been shown to be unlikely by the cocapping on the cell surface of β2m with the allogeneic chain of HL-A that carries the usual serologically detected determinants14–16.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Genetics Laboratory, Oxford

    P. N. GOODFELLOW, E. A. JONES, V. VAN HEYNINGEN, E. SOLOMON & M. BOBROW

  2. Basel Institute for Immunology, Basel, Switzerland

    V. MIGGIANO

  3. Genetics Laboratory, Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK

    W. F. BODMER

Authors
  1. P. N. GOODFELLOW
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  2. E. A. JONES
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  3. V. VAN HEYNINGEN
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  4. E. SOLOMON
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  5. M. BOBROW
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  6. V. MIGGIANO
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  7. W. F. BODMER
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GOODFELLOW, P., JONES, E., VAN HEYNINGEN, V. et al. The β2-microglobulin gene is on chromosome 15 and not in the HL-A region. Nature 254, 267–269 (1975). https://doi.org/10.1038/254267a0

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