Antibody gene linkage studies in (NZB X C58) recombinant-inbred lines.

A set of recombinant inbred mouse strains has been constructed from the cross of NZB by C58. These strains provide new tools for the analysis of antibody heavy and light chain genes and NZB autoimmunity. Typing of heavy chain genes confirmed the allotype linkage of the dextran response locus Igh-Dex. One strain has fixed a recombinant chromosome carrying NZB allotype genes and the Dex+ variable region gene from C58. Two kappa-light chain variable region genes, Igk-Pc and Igk-Ef1, co-segregated with the Lyt-2 lymphocyte alloantigen locus. This confirms the tight linkage of these loci and decreases the maximum estimate of the recombination frequency between them to 1.7%.