Sequence analysis of a panel of antibodies to phosphotyrosine revealed predominant H and L chain V regions in the immune response and a unique D segment in the Py20 mAb, which exhibits a high affinity for phosphotyrosine. In order to determine the influence of somatic diversity on the high affinity binding of Py20, H and L chain V regions were expressed in Escherichia coli as an Fv dimer. Whereas the H or L chain V regions of Py20 alone were unable to bind phosphotyrosine, the Fv binds phosphotyrosine with an affinity comparable with the intact IgG as determined by fluorescence quenching experiments (1.55 x 10(-7) M vs 1.25 x 10(-7) M, respectively). Substitution of the Py20 V regions with other IgG V regions that differed greatly in sequence abolished binding. A high affinity Py20-combining site was dependent on the presence of the unique D-D segment. Replacement of the Py20 D-D region with a single homologous D region resulted in a decrease in affinity (5.9 x 10(-7) M). Substitution of this D-D region for the D region of another anti-phosphotyrosine antibody that is known to bind phosphotyrosine weakly (1 x 10(-3) M) conferred high affinity binding. Removal of three tyrosines from the first of the two D regions was accompanied by a fivefold reduction in affinity for phosphotyrosine. In addition, changing the VK and VH junctional amino acids resulted in a complete loss of binding. Therefore, the formation of the high affinity Py20 combining site requires both a H and L chain that are similar in sequence to those of Py20 including the unique D region and the junctional amino acids.