Hi, this is one of the fascinating issues of the adaptive immune system evolution!

The core of the 1957 clonal selection theory by Macfarlane Burnett can be simplified in the rule: one cell - one antibody. In principle, there are several mechanisms to ensure the expression of only one allele, known as allelic exclusion mechanisms. You can read nice updated reviews on that subject, for instance:

http://www.nature.com/nri/journal/v4/n10/full/nri1458.html

http://www.lsic.ucla.edu/classes/mimg/spring_05/mimgm261/witte_4_11_2.pdf

http://www.jimmunol.org/content/185/7/3801.full.pdf+html

http://www.nature.com/ni/journal/v8/n10/abs/ni1007-1015.html

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/23803312_The_origin_of_the_one_cell-one_antibody_rule

If you need a more basic information, am sure you can find it in several immunology books online.

Hope to have been of use!

Article The Origin of the “One Cell-One Antibody” Rule

Christopher, I've seen your profile and know now that you do not need a basic information! Best luck!

Thanks Rocio,

As you said, I know relatively well the basics of clonal selection with "one cell, one Ab", but what I don't quite get is if >1 allelic variant (e.g. IGHV1-2*01 and *02) can be expressed in the same individual (at large), meaning; when is the allelic variants shut down in the differentiation process of stem cell to B cell?

I guess it could also be that it's not that common with allelic variants in the genome within a single person anyway (for Ig genes), but It must occur sometimes.

The reason I'm wondering is due to the potential of finding both variants when performing deep sequencing (possibly messing up the data slightly, since I'm mainly working with nonhuman primate sequences and not with beautiful databases that exist for mice and man)