Bence Jones Proteins and Light Chains of Immunoglobulins

Extensive immunochemical comparisons among κI, κII and κIII Bence Jones proteins belonging to different κ-chain groups can have identical antigenic sites in the amino terminal (variant) half of the light polypeptide chain. Certain antisera prepared against κ-chains belonging to one group have the capacity to detect antigenic differences among proteins of another group, i.e., an anti-κI antiserum can differentiate among κIII proteins. Immunochemical studies on Bence Jones proteins and light chains of known sequence and the subsequent integration of immunochemical and sequence data have permitted the localization of certain regions in the light polypeptide chain for which our antisera have specificity and which are responsible for the intragroup differences and intergroup similarities among κ-chains.