Four immunoglobulin isotypes and IgD splice variants in urodele amphibians.

Until recently, different families of urodele amphibians were thought to express distinct subsets of immunoglobulin (Ig) isotypes. In this study, we explored cDNAs encoding Ig heavy-chains (H-chains) in three species of urodele amphibians. We found that Cynops pyrrhogaster, Pleurodeles waltl, and Ambystoma mexicanum each carry genes encoding four Ig H-chain isotypes, including IgM, IgY, IgD, and IgX, similar to those found in anuran amphibians. We also found that urodele IgDs have a long constant region similar to those found in anuran, reptiles, and bony fishes. We also found several putative IgD splice variants. Our findings indicated that P. waltl IgP is not a novel isotype but an IgD splice variant. Altogether, our findings indicate that IgD splice variants may be universally expressed among amphibian species.