Antibody response to the streptococcal group A-variant polysaccharide in BASILEA rabbits lacking kappa-polypeptide chains.

Rabbits from a variant strain called BASILEA, in which homozygotes express only lambda-type chains and heterozygotes have normal kappa/lambda ratios, were hyperimmunized with a streptococcal group A variant vaccine. Homozygotes (bas/bas) produced antibodies with lambda-chains, heterozygotes, however, produced predominantly antibodies with kappa-chains. The incidence of restricted high responders in the BASILEA strain was high; it was probably introduced by the original mutant rather than by the loss of kappa-chains (founder effect). The degree of heterogeneity of homozygotes is similar to the heterogeneity of heterozygotes, and to that of rabbits expressing kappa-chains. This suggests that in the rabbit, the repertoire of lambda-chain genes is of similar size to that of kappa-chain genes.