Immunoglobulins are known to be variably glycosylated. Although most carbohydrate is likely to be associated with the constant region, the variable region may also be glycosylated. Variable region glycosylation is known to be associated with antigen binding; in one model, the presence of carbohydrate on the external surface of CDR2 was shown to increase the affinity by up to ten-fold. In this study we have studied the effect of somatic hypermutation on potential sites of N-glycosylation in IgV(H) genes used by mucosal plasma cells secreting IgM, IgA and IgG in adults and children. Mucosal plasma cells secreting IgM, IgA and IgG are all heavily mutated from childhood. We have observed a tendency to lose the germline encoded N-glycosylation sites in all populations studied (a range of 43-67% of genes showing loss of the site). The tendency to lose the site was associated with a higher frequency of somatic hypermutation. We have also analysed the tendency to create potential N-glycosylation sites, and observed that this was greater in IgA and IgG than IgM and was again associated with the high frequency of somatic hypermutation. We observed no evidence of selection for either loss or gain of potential N-glycosylation sites. The changes in potential glycosylation status associated with a high frequency of somatic hypermutation is likely to increase the diversity of mucosal immunoglobulins, but is not as likely to affect the peripheral immune system where the frequency of somatic hypermutation is generally lower.
This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 6. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 14 October 2014.
All research outputs
#6,780,480
of 31,542,270 outputs
Outputs from Molecular Immunology
#726
of 4,132 outputs
Outputs of similar age
#17,295
of 147,039 outputs
Outputs of similar age from Molecular Immunology
#2
of 11 outputs
Altmetric has tracked 31,542,270 research outputs across all sources so far. This one has received more attention than most of these and is in the 74th percentile.
So far Altmetric has tracked 4,132 research outputs from this source. They receive a mean Attention Score of 4.7. This one has gotten more attention than average, scoring higher than 67% of its peers.
Older research outputs will score higher simply because they've had more time to accumulate mentions. To account for age we can compare this Altmetric Attention Score to the 147,039 tracked outputs that were published within six weeks on either side of this one in any source. This one has done well, scoring higher than 79% of its contemporaries.
We're also able to compare this research output to 11 others from the same source and published within six weeks on either side of this one. This one has gotten more attention than average, scoring higher than 72% of its contemporaries.
