PUBLISHED BY THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION
FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE
1333 H STREET, N.W., WASHINGTON, D.C. #0
(202) 326-6500 4

TX
LY

  
   

CABLE ADDRESS: ADVANCESCI

January 19, 1988

Dr. Joshua Lederberg 4
President \ uo
Rockefeller University — va
New York City, NY 10021 7
Dear Josh, Cc
ok vw

A request for permission to reprint your article, "Genes and Antibodies" must IK
officially pass through our permissions department, but | am sure you will receive /
approval. | am with this letter referring it to the proper sources. e747 :

In regard to your question about clonal selection, | think you have gotten two
Koshlands mixed up ._ In this case, it was Marian E. Koshland who published the first
evidence of the amino acid sequences being different in different antibodies, and followed
this up by correlating the differences with different specific immunoglobins. According
to her, she was never intrigued by the instruction theory of Pauling and Campbell,
feeling the evidence that antigen did not stay in the system was convincing. As you
remember, when the Pauling and Campbell school held sway, amino acid analyses were
not that accurate, nor were antibodies sufficiently purified. Bunny deduced that if you
purified antibodies enough and did very good analyses the differences in pomosition
should be detectable (sequences were not possible at that time)She was right, and even
showed that antigens differing only in arsenate phosphate groups had different amino acid
compositions. Her first excellent evidence was greeted wtih great skepticism by the die-

_hards. When people were finally convinced, they all said it was "obvious".

Best wishes to you personally.

Cordially,

\
Uh

Daniel E. Koshland, Jr.
DEKJr/kg

cc: Pat Morgan N.B: Rabat Rfertnerse Te Fandun Gaghetl

+ (Cjeresea |) PRT ae N93.

yer | ee

AK, foe.