class switching


class switching

Physiology A step in the normal maturation of Hb during fetal development that requires switching from embryonal zeta chain, which is structurally similar to the α chain, and occurs on chromosome 16 to mature α chain production; β chain production is a 2-stage maturation process with early loss of the ε chain and the presence during fetal and early post-natal life of a γ chain, which ↓ as β chain expression is ↑. See Introduction to this volume: note.

class switching

The change, by a B cell, of the class of an antibody it produces (for example from IgM to IgG) without a change in its specificity.