Igk^FluBI

This germline-transmitted allele is a functionally rearranged immunoglobulin kappa light chain gene from a hemagglutinin-reactive B cell of a mouse that had been immunized with influenza virus strain A/SWN/33. The variable (VJ) portion of the expressed Igk sequence (GenBank accession KF419288) is derived from Igk-V4-74 and Igk-J5 and contains four somatic mutations. B cells of mice bearing this allele in combination with IghFluBI, called FluBI mice, are specific for hemagglutinin and secrete neutralizing antibodies against A/WSN/33 influenza virus. The FluBI mouse was generated by somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) of the nucleus of a B cell from an influenza strain A/SWN/3-immunized (C57BL/6 x 129)F1 mouse into an enucleated oocyte, which was allowed to develop to the blastocyst stage, then used to create embryonic stem (ES) cell lines. These ES cells were injected into blastocysts to create chimeric mice that transmitted the rearranged Igk and Igh genes, both derived from C57BL/6, in the germline. (J:206756)