Agnathans possess a convergent adaptive immune system in comparison to that of jawed vertebrates. In lieu of immunoglobulins, agnathans deploy variable lymphocyte receptors (VLRs), single chain protein effector molecules consisting of leucine rich repeat modules. Foundational work for this discovery utilized the parasitic sea lamprey, Petromyzon marinus. However, for several reasons, it is desirable to employ a local species for further studies of lamprey immunity. A disjunct freshwater species from the Kings River of California, Lampetra hubbsi, was evaluated for this purpose. Validation that its adaptive immune system was analogous to that of P. marinus entailed detailed examination of its immune tissue organization and of its VLRB cDNA transcripts. The VLRB molecules showed high degrees of homology with P. marinus VLRB. Furthermore, hemato-lymphopoietic tissue expression of VLRB protein was confirmed. We conclude that L. hubbsi should be a viable alternative for studying the lamprey adaptive immune system and for generation of monoclonal antibodies.

与有颚脊椎动物相比，阿格纳坦斯拥有收敛的适应性免疫系统。代替免疫球蛋白，无颌类使用可变淋巴细胞受体 (VLR)，即由富含亮氨酸的重复模块组成的单链蛋白效应分子。这一发现的基础工作利用了寄生海七鳃鳗Petromyzon marinus。然而，由于几个原因，需要使用当地物种来进一步研究七鳃鳗免疫。为此目的对来自加利福尼亚国王河的分离淡水物种Lampetra hubbsi进行了评估。验证其适应性免疫系统类似于P. marinus需要对其免疫组织组织及其 VLRB cDNA 转录物进行详细检查。VLRB 分子与P. marinus VLRB具有高度同源性。此外，证实了VLRB蛋白的造血-淋巴细胞组织表达。我们得出结论，L. hubbsi应该是研究七鳃鳗适应性免疫系统和产生单克隆抗体的可行替代方案。