V(D)j Recombination Becomes Accessible

V(D)j Recombination Becomes Accessible

The diverse antigen receptor repertoires of B and T lym-phocytes are generated by somatic rearrangement of Ig and TCR V, D, and J gene segments during lymphocyte development. A basic mechanistic understanding of V(D)J re-combination reaction is now at hand. The process is initiated by recombinase proteins recombination activating gene (RAG)-1 and RAG-2, which bind to recombination signal sequen...

VDJ Recombination

Artemis is the newest player in VDJ recombination and double strand break repair. First identified in radiation-sensitive and immune-deficient patients, it was recently shown to interact with DNA-dependent protein kinase catalytic subunit (DNA-PKcs) and have nuclease activity, becoming the most popular candidate for the opening of hairpin coding ends. Reports presented in this issue (1) and in ...

VDJ Recombination A Transposase Goes to Work

ment, producing two coding ends and two signal ends. Howard Hughes Medical Institute Subsequent joiningof thecoding ends, forming a coding Baylor College of Medicine joint, assembles a rearranged TCR or Ig gene segment; Houston, Texas 77030 the signal ends also join, forming a signal joint. †Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics Several features of VDJ recombination are reminisHoward Hug...

Independent of the Rag Proteins Beyond the 12/23 Rule of VDJ Recombination

Allelic exclusion of IgH through inhibition of E2A in a VDJ recombination complex.

A key feature of the immune system is the paradigm that one lymphocyte has only one Ag specificity that can be selected for or against. This requires that only one of the alleles of genes for AgR chains is made functional. However, the molecular mechanism of this allelic exclusion has been an enigma. In this study, we show that B lymphocytes with E2A that cannot be inhibited by calmodulin are d...