Figure 1.

Schematic representation of the two-stage V^H fingerprinting assay using either genomic DNA or complementary (c)DNA as templates. In stage I for the genomic DNA-based assay, genomic DNA was amplified using a sense V^H family-specific FR1 primer in conjunction with an antisense J^H consensus primer. For the cDNA-based assay, cDNA was amplified using a sense V^H family-specific FR1 primer in conjunction with the appropriate antisense CH primer. In stage II, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) products generated from either genomic DNA or cDNA were amplified using a nested sense V_H family-specific FR3 primer and a radiolabeled antisense nested J^H consensus primer that had been end-labeled with γ³²-P. The radiolabeled PCR products were electrophoresed through a 6% denaturing acrylamide sequencing gel, and then exposed to photographic film overnight. See text (Materials and methods) for further details. *Areas of coding end processing at the D-J^H and V^H-DJ^H junctions. The V^H fingerprinting results displayed were derived with the cDNA-based assay.