Rabbits predominantly rearrange the most 3′ VH gene (VH1); thus combinatorial diversity
is very limited. In man and mouse, the most 3′ DH gene, DQ52, is preferentially rearranged
early in B-cell development. To test whether this preference for rearranging a DH gene
segment based on 3′ end proximity exists in rabbit, we cloned and sequenced the rabbit
DQ52 gene. The 11 base pair coding region sequence is identical to a published mouse
DQ52, and 81.8% similar to the human sequence. It is localized∼ 805 bp upstream of the …

In rabbits the 3′-most VH gene (VH1) is predominantly rearranged, limiting combinatorial
diversity. In man and mouse, the 3′-most DH gene, DQ52, is preferentially rearranged early
in B-cell development. To test whether this preference for rearranging a DH gene segment is
based on 3′-end proximity in rabbit, its DQ52 gene was cloned and sequenced
(EMBL/GenBank accession number U62585-6). The 11 bp coding region sequence is
identical to a published mouse DQ52, and 81.8% similar to the human sequence. It is …