Light chain loss and reexpression leads to idiotype switch. Surrogate light chains are probably responsible for this process.

The murine B-lymphocyte cell line 38C-13 is characterized by several cell surface markers typical for an early stage of B-cell differentiation. Cells of this cell line possess cell surface membrane IgM molecules composed of mu and kappa polypeptide chains. They also produce "surrogate" or "pseudo" light chains (psi L) coded by the lambda 5 and VpreB genes. Variants of the 38C-13 cell line which do not synthesize kappa chains can be isolated from the 38C-13 population by the use of anti-idiotype antibodies in vivo and in vitro. In some kappa chain-deficient variant cell lines, cells which have regained surface IgM expression but have lost the original idiotype specificity, can be isolated. This idiotype switch is probably due to a secondary rearrangement of the kappa gene. In the kappa chain-deficient variant cells, the mu chains assemble with the surrogate light chains but the assembled IgM-like molecules are not expressed on the cell surface. It is suggested that surrogate light chains play an important role in the induction of kappa gene rearrangement but that surface expression of mu-psi L complexes is not required for this process.