The antibody paradox: Trying on a pair of genes

Abstract

Rodney Porter's separation of antibody molecules into Fab and Fc fragments engendered the notion that a single antibody polypeptide chain might be coded by two or more genes. This concept profoundly influenced the development of molecular immunology over the past 25 years. Our current knowledge of antibody gene organization has enabled investigators to recombine antibody genes to create ‘chimeric’ antibodies with a number of potentially useful applications.