A J chain is a protein component of the

antibodies An antibody (Ab), also known as an immunoglobulin (Ig), is a large, Y-shaped protein used by the immune system to identify and neutralize foreign objects such as pathogenic bacteria and viruses. The antibody recognizes a unique molecule of the ...

IgM Immunoglobulin M (IgM) is one of several isotypes of antibody (also known as immunoglobulin) that are produced by vertebrates. IgM is the largest antibody, and it is the first antibody to appear in the response to initial exposure to an antig ...

and

IgA Iga may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Ambush at Iga Pass, a 1958 Japanese film * Iga no Kagemaru, Japanese manga series * Iga, a set of characters from the Japanese novel '' The Kouga Ninja Scrolls'' Biology * ''Iga'' (beetle), a g ...

. It is a 137

residue Residue may refer to: Chemistry and biology * An amino acid, within a peptide chain * Crop residue, materials left after agricultural processes * Pesticide residue, refers to the pesticides that may remain on or in food after they are applie ...

polypeptide, encoded by the ''IGJ'' gene.

Structure

The J Chain's molecular weight is approximately 15 kDa. It exhibits a standard immunoglobulin folding structure of two β-pleated sheets of four ribbons folded against one another. It has 8 cysteine residues. Two of these residues link the α chains of

or the μ chains of

via

disulfide bridge In biochemistry, a disulfide (or disulphide in British English) refers to a functional group with the structure . The linkage is also called an SS-bond or sometimes a disulfide bridge and is usually derived by the coupling of two thiol groups. In ...

s, effectively serving as the "glue" between two Fc regions of the antibody. The J-chain shows a large degree of homology between avian and human species, suggesting that it serves an important function.

Function

The J Chain is required for IgM or IgA to be secreted into mucosa. As part of a polymeric immunoglobulin (pIg), the J-chain is essential for binding of pIg to the pIgR, which forms the

secretory component The secretory component is a component of immunoglobulin A (IgA). Secretory component is a proteolytic cleavage product of the polymeric immunoglobulin receptor which remains associated with dimeric IgA in sero-mucus secretions. Polymeric IgA bind ...

upon excretion of the secretory pIg by epithelial cells. This binding facilitates transport of the J-chain positive pIg molecules from the basal to the apical sides of epithelial cells. Because IgM and IgA are the only two types of antibody that

polymerize In polymer chemistry, polymerization (American English), or polymerisation (British English), is a process of reacting monomer molecules together in a chemical reaction to form polymer chains or three-dimensional networks. There are many for ...

, initial hypotheses stated that J chain was required for polymerization. However, it was subsequently found that IgM is able to polymerize in the absence of J chain as both a pentamer and a hexamer, however, both of these exist to lesser numbers in organisms lacking J chains. In such cases, there are also fewer IgA dimers. The J-chain also plays a role in the activation of complement. J-chain negative IgM hexamers are 15-20 times more effective at activating

complement A complement is something that completes something else. Complement may refer specifically to: The arts * Complement (music), an interval that, when added to another, spans an octave ** Aggregate complementation, the separation of pitch-class ...

than J-chain positive IgM pentamers. A consequence of this lack of complement activation is it allows J-chain positive pIgM to bind antigens without causing excessive damage to epithelial membranes through complement activation.

Structure

Function

References

Further reading