Lack of Feedback Inhibition of Vrc Gene Rearrangement by Productively Rearranged Alleles

Circular DNAs excised by immunoglobulin K chain gene rearrangements were cloned and characterized. 16 of 17 clones examined were double recombination products containing aVKJK rearrangement (coding joint) as well as the reciprocal element (signal joint) of another Vfc-JK rearrangement . These products suggested multiple recombination, primary inversion, and secondary excision . In primary events, 5 of 16 translational reading frames were in-phase. Thus, VK gene rearrangement maynot be inhibited by thepresence of a productively rearranged allele. An unusually large trinucleotide (P) insertion forming a palindrome of 12 nucleotides was also observed in one of the coding joints .