Overview and Discovery of IgNARs and Generation of VNARs

Immunoglobulin new antigen receptors (IgNARs) from sharks are a distinct class of immune receptors, consisting of homodimers with no associated light chains. Antigen binding is encapsulated within single VNAR immunoglobulin domains of 13–14 kDa in size. This small size and single domain format means that they exhibit considerable stability and are readily produced in heterologous protein expression systems. In this chapter, I describe the history and discovery of IgNARs, the development of VNAR biotechnology, and highlight important factors in VNAR protein production.