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In order to defend our bodies, our immune system has to be able to recognise and destroy an incredibly vast number of pathogens. It's surprising, then, that it manages to do so with a relatively small set of genes, called immunoglobulins -- one of which is found on chromosome 14. Aoife McLysaght from Trinity College Dublin explains how recombination of this gene allows us to produce a huge diversity of immunoglobulins by creating different versions in different cells throughout our body - and all this from a single gene.

With thanks to BBSRC: http://bbsrc.ac.uk/

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