Antibodies are glycoproteins that are secreted by B-cells in response to specific antigens.
While the general structure of the light chains has remained constant throughout evolution, the relative frequency with which these light chains are expressed has not. For example, humans and mice express predominantly k chains, while species such as cattle, sheep and horses express predominantly l chains. I have chosen to study two model organisms to answer these questions. Current projects involve cloning and isolating light chain sequences from these two species, and, in the case of cattle, mapping these genes using hybrid somatic cell panels. In the 1960s, a trash fire in an abandoned anthracite coal mine touched off a near-surface mine fire that has been burning since that time.