The light chain of an antibody makes up part of its variable region and Fab, and therefore is involved in antigen binding. In humans, the Kappa and Lambda subtypes are found and split about 60:40, whereas in mice it is closer to 90:10.
Kappa and lambda subtype
- The ratio of kappa to lambda in circulating antibodies is about 60:40; when this falls out of balance, that can be a symptom of B cell lymphoma.
- Lambda light chains are more flexible than kappa light chains due to an extra glycine in the switch region (_Articles that need citations).