Immunoglobulin genes and diversity: what we have learned from domestic animals

This review focuses on the diversity of immunoglobulin (Ig) genes and Ig isotypes that are expressed in domestic animals. Four livestock species-cattle, sheep, pigs, and horses-express a full range of Ig heavy chains (IgHs), including mu, delta,gamma, (sic) and alpha. Two poultry species (chickens and ducks) express three IgH isotypes, mu, upsilon, and alpha, but not delta. The kappa and lambda light chains are both utilized in the four livestock species, but only the lambda chain is expressed in poultry. V(D)J recombination, somatic hypermutation (SHM), and gene conversion (GC) are three distinct mechanisms by which immunoglobulin variable region diversity is generated. Different domestic animals may use distinct means to diversify rearranged variable regions of Ig genes.