INTRODUCTION The V(D)J rearrangement of B and T cell lymphocytes during the recombination process, which is essential for the development of normal immune system function, depends critically on the presence of the recombination activating enzymes, RAG1 and RAG2. Mutations in RAG1 or RAG2 can lead to a spectrum of disorders, ranging from typical B-T-severe combined immunodeficiency to Omenn's sy...

The western corn rootworm, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), is a major pest of corn (Zea mays L.) in North America and has evolved resistance to crop rotation by ovipositing in alternate crops such as soybeans [Glycine max (L.) Merr.]. Through experiments with plants grown in the greenhouse and the field, we tested whether soybeans with resistance to the soybe...

IL12RB1 is essential for human resistance to Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection. In the absence of a functional IL12RB1 allele, individuals exhibit susceptibility to disseminated, recurrent mycobacterial infections that are associated with defects in both RAG1-dependent and RAG1-independent hematopoietic lineages. Despite this well-established association, a causal relationship between M. tub...

Major injury initiates a systemic inflammatory response that can be detrimental to the host. We have recently reported that burn injury primes innate immune cells for a progressive increase in TLR4 and TLR2 agonist-induced proinflammatory cytokine production and that this inflammatory phenotype is exaggerated in adaptive immune system-deficient (Rag1(-/-)) mice. The present study uses a series ...

The RAG1/RAG2 (RAG) endonuclease recombines accessible antigen receptor (AgR) genes through DNA double strand break (DSB) intermediates to generate a diverse AgR repertoire. RAG-mediated DSBs signal changes in expression of genes encoding proteins involved in cellular survival, lymphocyte differentiation, and AgR selection. RAG proteins are each comprised of "core" endonuclease domains and disp...

Omenn syndrome (OS) is a rare primary immunodeficiency characterized by the presence of activated/oligoclonal T cells, eosinophilia, and the absence of circulating B cells. OS patients carry leaky mutations of recombination activating genes (RAG1 or RAG2) resulting in partial V(D)J recombination activity, whereas null mutations cause severe combined immunodeficiency with absence of mature T and...

The soybean aphid (Aphis glycines) has rapidly spread through the Midwest causing consistent yield losses since its introduction. In an effort to find sources of resistance to this pest, several plant introductions have been screened in controlled laboratory conditions or in few locations under field conditions. In order to better characterize different soybean resistant lines we measured resis...

Cells performing V(D)J recombination make specific cuts in DNA at recombination signal sequences. Here, we show that nuclear extracts of pre-B cell lines carry out this specific cleavage. The products of cleavage are the same as found previously in thymocytes: full-length, blunt, 5'-phosphorylated signal ends, and covalently sealed (hairpin) coding ends. A complete signal sequence is required. ...

BACKGROUND Abundance of commensals constituting the intestinal microbiota (IM) affects the immune system and predisposes to a variety of diseases, including intestinal infections, cancer, inflammatory and metabolic disorders. Housing conditions determine the IM and can hence influence the immune system. We analyzed how both variables affect the IM of four immune-compromized mouse lines kept und...

The diversity of antigen receptors in the adaptive immune system of jawed vertebrates is generated by a unique process of somatic gene rearrangement known as V(D)J recombination. The Rag1 and Rag2 proteins are the key mediators of this process. They are encoded by a compact gene cluster that has exclusively been identified in animal species displaying V(D)J-mediated immunity, and no homologous ...