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Müller H, Dicker F, Bär C, Walter W, Hutter S, Nadarajah N, Meggendorfer M, Gao Q, Iacobucci I, Mullighan CG, Kern W, Haferlach T, Haferlach C. Proximally biased V(D)J recombination in the clonal evolution of IGH alleles in KMT2A::AFF1 BCP-ALL of all age classes. Hemasphere 2024; 8:e71. [PMID: 38650597 PMCID: PMC11033919 DOI: 10.1002/hem3.71] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2023] [Revised: 03/08/2024] [Accepted: 03/26/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024] Open
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Qingsong Gao
- Department of PathologySt. Jude Children's Research HospitalMemphisTennesseeUSA
| | - Ilaria Iacobucci
- Department of PathologySt. Jude Children's Research HospitalMemphisTennesseeUSA
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Darzentas F, Szczepanowski M, Kotrová M, Hartmann A, Beder T, Gökbuget N, Schwartz S, Bastian L, Baldus CD, Pál K, Darzentas N, Brüggemann M. Insights into IGH clonal evolution in BCP-ALL: frequency, mechanisms, associations, and diagnostic implications. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1125017. [PMID: 37143651 PMCID: PMC10151743 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1125017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2022] [Accepted: 03/27/2023] [Indexed: 05/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction The malignant transformation leading to a maturation arrest in B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (BCP-ALL) occurs early in B-cell development, in a pro-B or pre-B cell, when somatic recombination of variable (V), diversity (D), and joining (J) segment immunoglobulin (IG) genes and the B-cell rescue mechanism of VH replacement might be ongoing or fully active, driving clonal evolution. In this study of newly diagnosed BCP-ALL, we sought to understand the mechanistic details of oligoclonal composition of the leukemia at diagnosis, clonal evolution during follow-up, and clonal distribution in different hematopoietic compartments. Methods Utilizing high-throughput sequencing assays and bespoke bioinformatics we identified BCP-ALL-derived clonally-related IGH sequences by their shared 'DNJ-stem'. Results We introduce the concept of 'marker DNJ-stem' to cover the entirety of, even lowly abundant, clonally-related family members. In a cohort of 280 adult patients with BCP-ALL, IGH clonal evolution at diagnosis was identified in one-third of patients. The phenomenon was linked to contemporaneous recombinant and editing activity driven by aberrant ongoing DH/VH-DJH recombination and VH replacement, and we share insights and examples for both. Furthermore, in a subset of 167 patients with molecular subtype allocation, high prevalence and high degree of clonal evolution driven by ongoing DH/VH-DJH recombination were associated with the presence of KMT2A gene rearrangements, while VH replacements occurred more frequently in Ph-like and DUX4 BCP-ALL. Analysis of 46 matched diagnostic bone marrow and peripheral blood samples showed a comparable clonal and clonotypic distribution in both hematopoietic compartments, but the clonotypic composition markedly changed in longitudinal follow-up analysis in select cases. Thus, finally, we present cases where the specific dynamics of clonal evolution have implications for both the initial marker identification and the MRD monitoring in follow-up samples. Discussion Consequently, we suggest to follow the marker DNJ-stem (capturing all family members) rather than specific clonotypes as the MRD target, as well as to follow both VDJH and DJH family members since their respective kinetics are not always parallel. Our study further highlights the intricacy, importance, and present and future challenges of IGH clonal evolution in BCP-ALL.
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Affiliation(s)
- Franziska Darzentas
- Medical Department II, Hematology and Oncology, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel, Germany
| | - Monika Szczepanowski
- Medical Department II, Hematology and Oncology, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel, Germany
| | - Michaela Kotrová
- Medical Department II, Hematology and Oncology, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel, Germany
| | - Alina Hartmann
- Medical Department II, Hematology and Oncology, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel, Germany
- University Cancer Center Schleswig-Holstein (UCCSH), University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel, Germany
- Clinical Research Unit “CATCH-ALL” (KFO 5010/1), funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation), Bonn, Germany
| | - Thomas Beder
- Medical Department II, Hematology and Oncology, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel, Germany
- University Cancer Center Schleswig-Holstein (UCCSH), University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel, Germany
| | - Nicola Gökbuget
- Department of Medicine II, Hematology/Oncology, Goethe University Hospital, Frankfurt/M, Germany
| | - Stefan Schwartz
- Department of Hematology, Oncology and Tumor Immunology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Lorenz Bastian
- Medical Department II, Hematology and Oncology, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel, Germany
- University Cancer Center Schleswig-Holstein (UCCSH), University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel, Germany
- Clinical Research Unit “CATCH-ALL” (KFO 5010/1), funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation), Bonn, Germany
| | - Claudia Dorothea Baldus
- Medical Department II, Hematology and Oncology, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel, Germany
- University Cancer Center Schleswig-Holstein (UCCSH), University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel, Germany
- Clinical Research Unit “CATCH-ALL” (KFO 5010/1), funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation), Bonn, Germany
| | - Karol Pál
- Central European Institute of Technology, Masaryk University, Brno, Czechia
| | - Nikos Darzentas
- Medical Department II, Hematology and Oncology, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel, Germany
- *Correspondence: Nikos Darzentas,
| | - Monika Brüggemann
- Medical Department II, Hematology and Oncology, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel, Germany
- University Cancer Center Schleswig-Holstein (UCCSH), University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel, Germany
- Clinical Research Unit “CATCH-ALL” (KFO 5010/1), funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation), Bonn, Germany
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Steele EJ, Lindley RA. Regulatory T cells and co-evolution of allele-specific MHC recognition by the TCR. Scand J Immunol 2019; 91:e12853. [PMID: 31793005 PMCID: PMC7064991 DOI: 10.1111/sji.12853] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2019] [Accepted: 11/27/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
What is the evolutionary mechanism for the TCR-MHC-conserved interaction? We extend Dembic's model (Dembic Z. In, Scand J Immunol e12806, 2019) of thymus positive selection for high-avidity anti-self-MHC Tregs among double (CD4 + CD8+)-positive (DP) developing thymocytes. This model is based on competition for self-MHC (+ Pep) complexes presented on cortical epithelium. Such T cells exit as CD4 + CD25+FoxP3 + thymic-derived Tregs (tTregs). The other positively selected DP T cells are then negatively selected on medulla epithelium removing high-avidity anti-self-MHC + Pep as T cells commit to CD4 + or CD8 + lineages. The process is likened to the competitive selection and affinity maturation in Germinal Centre for the somatic hypermutation (SHM) of rearranged immunoglobulin (Ig) variable region (V[D]Js) of centrocytes bearing antigen-specific B cell receptors (BCR). We now argue that the same direct SHM processes for TCRs occur in post-antigenic Germinal Centres, but now occurring in peripheral pTregs. This model provides a potential solution to a long-standing problem previously recognized by Cohn and others (Cohn M, Anderson CC, Dembic Z. In, Scand J Immunol e12790, 2019) of how co-evolution occurs of species-specific MHC alleles with the repertoire of their germline TCR V counterparts. We suggest this is not by 'blind', slow, and random Darwinian natural selection events, but a rapid structured somatic selection vertical transmission process. The pTregs bearing somatic TCR V mutant genes then, on arrival in reproductive tissues, can donate their TCR V sequences via soma-to-germline feedback as discussed in this journal earlier. (Steele EJ, Lindley RA. In, Scand J Immunol e12670, 2018) The high-avidity tTregs also participate in the same process to maintain a biased, high-avidity anti-self-MHC germline V repertoire.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edward J Steele
- Melville Analytics Pty Ltd, Melbourne, Vic, Australia.,CYO'Connor ERADE Village Foundation, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Robyn A Lindley
- GMDxCo Pty Ltd, Melbourne, Vic, Australia.,Department of Clinical Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry & Health Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Vic, Australia
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Saunders KO, Wiehe K, Tian M, Acharya P, Bradley T, Alam SM, Go EP, Scearce R, Sutherland L, Henderson R, Hsu AL, Borgnia MJ, Chen H, Lu X, Wu NR, Watts B, Jiang C, Easterhoff D, Cheng HL, McGovern K, Waddicor P, Chapdelaine-Williams A, Eaton A, Zhang J, Rountree W, Verkoczy L, Tomai M, Lewis MG, Desaire HR, Edwards RJ, Cain DW, Bonsignori M, Montefiori D, Alt FW, Haynes BF. Targeted selection of HIV-specific antibody mutations by engineering B cell maturation. Science 2019; 366:eaay7199. [PMID: 31806786 PMCID: PMC7168753 DOI: 10.1126/science.aay7199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 98] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2019] [Accepted: 11/05/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION A major goal of HIV-1 vaccine development is the design of immunogens that induce broadly neutralizing antibodies (bnAbs). However, vaccination of humans has not resulted in the induction of affinity-matured and potent HIV-1 bnAbs. To devise effective vaccine strategies, we previously determined the maturation pathway of select HIV-1 bnAbs from acute infection through neutralizing antibody development. During their evolution, bnAbs acquire an abundance of improbable amino acid substitutions as a result of nucleotide mutations at variable region sequences rarely targeted by activation-induced cytidine deaminase, the enzyme responsible for antibody mutation. A subset of improbable mutations is essential for broad neutralization activity, and their acquisition represents a key roadblock to bnAb development. RATIONALE Current bnAb lineage-based vaccine strategies can initiate bnAb lineage development in animal models but have not specifically elicited the improbable mutations required for neutralization breadth. Induction of bnAbs requires vaccine strategies that specifically engage bnAb precursors and subsequently select for improbable mutations required for broadly neutralizing activity. We hypothesized that vaccination with immunogens that bind with moderate to high affinity to bnAb B cell precursors, and with higher affinity to precursors that have acquired improbable mutations, could initiate bnAb B cell lineages and select for key improbable mutations required for bnAb development. RESULTS We elicited serum neutralizing HIV-1 antibodies in human bnAb precursor knock-in mice and wild-type macaques vaccinated with immunogens designed to select for improbable mutations. We designed two HIV-1 envelope immunogens that bound precursor B cells of either a CD4 binding site or V3-glycan bnAb lineage. In vitro, these immunogens bound more strongly to bnAb precursors once the precursor acquired the desired improbable mutations. Vaccination of macaques with the CD4 binding site–targeting immunogen induced CD4 binding site serum neutralizing antibodies. Antibody sequences elicited in human bnAb precursor knock-in mice encoded functional improbable mutations critical for bnAb development. In bnAb precursor knock-in mice, we isolated a vaccine-elicited monoclonal antibody bearing functional improbable mutations that was capable of neutralizing multiple HIV-1 global isolates. Structures of a bnAb precursor, a bnAb, and the vaccine-elicited antibody revealed the precise roles that acquired improbable mutations played in recognizing the HIV-1 envelope. Thus, our immunogens elicited antibody responses in macaques and knock-in mice that exhibited the mutational patterns, structural characteristics, or neutralization profiles of nascent broadly neutralizing antibodies. CONCLUSION Our study represents a proof of concept for targeted selection of improbable mutations to guide antibody affinity maturation. Moreover, this study demonstrates a rational strategy for sequential immunogen design to circumvent the difficult roadblocks in HIV-1 bnAb induction by vaccination. We show that immunogens should exhibit differences in affinity across antibody maturation stages where improbable mutations are necessary for the desired antibody function. This strategy of selection of specific antibody nucleotides by immunogen design can be applied to B cell lineages targeting other pathogens where guided affinity maturation is needed for a protective antibody response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin O Saunders
- Human Vaccine Institute and Department of Surgery, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA.
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA
- Department of Immunology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Kevin Wiehe
- Human Vaccine Institute and Department of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Ming Tian
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Priyamvada Acharya
- Human Vaccine Institute and Department of Surgery, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Todd Bradley
- Human Vaccine Institute and Department of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - S Munir Alam
- Human Vaccine Institute and Department of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Eden P Go
- Department of Chemistry, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66049, USA
| | - Richard Scearce
- Human Vaccine Institute and Department of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Laura Sutherland
- Human Vaccine Institute and Department of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Rory Henderson
- Human Vaccine Institute and Department of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Allen L Hsu
- Genome Integrity and Structural Biology Laboratory, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA
| | - Mario J Borgnia
- Genome Integrity and Structural Biology Laboratory, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA
| | - Haiyan Chen
- Human Vaccine Institute and Department of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Xiaozhi Lu
- Human Vaccine Institute and Department of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Nelson R Wu
- Human Vaccine Institute and Department of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Brian Watts
- Human Vaccine Institute and Department of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Chuancang Jiang
- Human Vaccine Institute and Department of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - David Easterhoff
- Human Vaccine Institute and Department of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Hwei-Ling Cheng
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Kelly McGovern
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Peyton Waddicor
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Aimee Chapdelaine-Williams
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Amanda Eaton
- Human Vaccine Institute and Department of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Jinsong Zhang
- Human Vaccine Institute and Department of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Wes Rountree
- Human Vaccine Institute and Department of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Laurent Verkoczy
- Human Vaccine Institute and Department of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Mark Tomai
- Corporate Research Materials Lab, 3M Company, St. Paul, MN 55144, USA
| | | | - Heather R Desaire
- Department of Chemistry, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66049, USA
| | - Robert J Edwards
- Human Vaccine Institute and Department of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Derek W Cain
- Human Vaccine Institute and Department of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Mattia Bonsignori
- Human Vaccine Institute and Department of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - David Montefiori
- Human Vaccine Institute and Department of Surgery, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Frederick W Alt
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
| | - Barton F Haynes
- Department of Immunology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA.
- Human Vaccine Institute and Department of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA
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Hershberg U, Luning Prak ET. The analysis of clonal expansions in normal and autoimmune B cell repertoires. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2016; 370:rstb.2014.0239. [PMID: 26194753 PMCID: PMC4528416 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2014.0239] [Citation(s) in RCA: 84] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Clones are the fundamental building blocks of immune repertoires. The number of different clones relates to the diversity of the repertoire, whereas their size and sequence diversity are linked to selective pressures. Selective pressures act both between clones and within different sequence variants of a clone. Understanding how clonal selection shapes the immune repertoire is one of the most basic questions in all of immunology. But how are individual clones defined? Here we discuss different approaches for defining clones, starting with how antibodies are diversified during different stages of B cell development. Next, we discuss how clones are defined using different experimental methods. We focus on high-throughput sequencing datasets, and the computational challenges and opportunities that these data have for mining the antibody repertoire landscape. We discuss methods that visualize sequence variants within the same clone and allow us to consider collections of shared mutations to determine which sequences share a common ancestry. Finally, we comment on features of frequently encountered expanded B cell clones that may be of particular interest in the setting of autoimmunity and other chronic conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Uri Hershberg
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems, Drexel University, Bossone 7-711, 3141 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA Department of Immunology and Microbiology, College of Medicine, Drexel University, Bossone 7-711, 3141 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Eline T Luning Prak
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 405B Stellar Chance Labs, 422 Curie Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
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Abstract
The genes encoding the variable (V) region of the B-cell antigen receptor (BCR) are assembled from V, D (diversity), and J (joining) elements through a RAG-mediated recombination process that relies on the recognition of recombination signal sequences (RSSs) flanking the individual elements. Secondary V(D)J rearrangement modifies the original Ig rearrangement if a nonproductive original joint is formed, as a response to inappropriate signaling from a self-reactive BCR, or as part of a stochastic mechanism to further diversify the Ig repertoire. VH replacement represents a RAG-mediated secondary rearrangement in which an upstream VH element recombines with a rearranged VHDHJH joint to generate a new BCR specificity. The rearrangement occurs between the cryptic RSS of the original VH element and the conventional RSS of the invading VH gene, leaving behind a footprint of up to five base pairs (bps) of the original VH gene that is often further obscured by exonuclease activity and N-nucleotide addition. We have previously demonstrated that VH replacement can efficiently rescue the development of B cells that have acquired two nonproductive heavy chain (IgH) rearrangements. Here we describe a novel knock-in mouse model in which the prerearranged IgH locus resembles an endogenously rearranged productive VHDHJH allele. Using this mouse model, we characterized the role of VH replacement in the diversification of the primary Ig repertoire through the modification of productive VHDHJH rearrangements. Our results indicate that VH replacement occurs before Ig light chain rearrangement and thus is not involved in the editing of self-reactive antibodies.
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Antibody repertoire diversification through VH gene replacement in mice cloned from an IgA plasma cell. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2015; 112:E450-7. [PMID: 25609671 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1417988112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
In mammals, VDJ recombination is responsible for the establishment of a highly diversified preimmune antibody repertoire. Acquisition of a functional Ig heavy (H) chain variable (V) gene rearrangement is thought to prevent further recombination at the IgH locus. Here, we describe VHQ52(NT); Vκgr32(NT) Ig monoclonal mice reprogrammed from the nucleus of an intestinal IgA(+) plasma cell. In VHQ52(NT) mice, IgA replaced IgM to drive early B-cell development and peripheral B-cell maturation. In VHQ52(NT) animals, over 20% of mature B cells disrupted the single productive, nonautoimmune IgH rearrangement through VH replacement and exchanged it with a highly diversified pool of IgH specificities. VH replacement occurred in early pro-B cells, was independent of pre-B-cell receptor signaling, and involved predominantly one adjacent VH germ-line gene. VH replacement was also identified in 5% of peripheral B cells of mice inheriting a different productive VH rearrangement expressed in the form of an IgM H chain. In summary, editing of a productive IgH rearrangement through VH replacement can account for up to 20% of the IgH repertoire expressed by mature B cells.
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Lange MD, Huang L, Yu Y, Li S, Liao H, Zemlin M, Su K, Zhang Z. Accumulation of VH Replacement Products in IgH Genes Derived from Autoimmune Diseases and Anti-Viral Responses in Human. Front Immunol 2014; 5:345. [PMID: 25101087 PMCID: PMC4105631 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2014.00345] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2014] [Accepted: 07/06/2014] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
VH replacement refers to RAG-mediated secondary recombination of the IgH genes, which renews almost the entire VH gene coding region but retains a short stretch of nucleotides as a VH replacement footprint at the newly generated VH–DH junction. To explore the biological significance of VH replacement to the antibody repertoire, we developed a Java-based VH replacement footprint analyzer program and analyzed the distribution of VH replacement products in 61,851 human IgH gene sequences downloaded from the NCBI database. The initial assignment of the VH, DH, and JH gene segments provided a comprehensive view of the human IgH repertoire. To our interest, the overall frequency of VH replacement products is 12.1%; the frequencies of VH replacement products in IgH genes using different VH germline genes vary significantly. Importantly, the frequencies of VH replacement products are significantly elevated in IgH genes derived from different autoimmune diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, and allergic rhinitis, and in IgH genes encoding various autoantibodies or anti-viral antibodies. The identified VH replacement footprints preferentially encoded charged amino acids to elongate IgH CDR3 regions, which may contribute to their autoreactivities or anti-viral functions. Analyses of the mutation status of the identified VH replacement products suggested that they had been actively involved in immune responses. These results provide a global view of the distribution of VH replacement products in human IgH genes, especially in IgH genes derived from autoimmune diseases and anti-viral immune responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miles D Lange
- Department of Pathology and Microbiology, University of Nebraska Medical Center , Omaha, NE , USA
| | - Lin Huang
- Department of Pathology and Microbiology, University of Nebraska Medical Center , Omaha, NE , USA
| | - Yangsheng Yu
- Department of Pathology and Microbiology, University of Nebraska Medical Center , Omaha, NE , USA
| | - Song Li
- Department of Pathology and Microbiology, University of Nebraska Medical Center , Omaha, NE , USA
| | - Hongyan Liao
- Department of Pathology and Microbiology, University of Nebraska Medical Center , Omaha, NE , USA
| | - Michael Zemlin
- Department of Pediatrics, Philipps-University Marburg , Marburg , Germany
| | - Kaihong Su
- Department of Pathology and Microbiology, University of Nebraska Medical Center , Omaha, NE , USA ; The Eppley Cancer Institute, University of Nebraska Medical Center , Omaha, NE , USA ; Department of Internal Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center , Omaha, NE , USA
| | - Zhixin Zhang
- Department of Pathology and Microbiology, University of Nebraska Medical Center , Omaha, NE , USA ; The Eppley Cancer Institute, University of Nebraska Medical Center , Omaha, NE , USA
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Huang L, Lange MD, Zhang Z. VH Replacement Footprint Analyzer-I, a Java-Based Computer Program for Analyses of Immunoglobulin Heavy Chain Genes and Potential VH Replacement Products in Human and Mouse. Front Immunol 2014; 5:40. [PMID: 24575092 PMCID: PMC3918983 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2014.00040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2013] [Accepted: 01/22/2014] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
VH replacement occurs through RAG-mediated secondary recombination between a rearranged VH gene and an upstream unrearranged VH gene. Due to the location of the cryptic recombination signal sequence (cRSS, TACTGTG) at the 3′ end of VH gene coding region, a short stretch of nucleotides from the previous rearranged VH gene can be retained in the newly formed VH–DH junction as a “footprint” of VH replacement. Such footprints can be used as markers to identify Ig heavy chain (IgH) genes potentially generated through VH replacement. To explore the contribution of VH replacement products to the antibody repertoire, we developed a Java-based computer program, VH replacement footprint analyzer-I (VHRFA-I), to analyze published or newly obtained IgH genes from human or mouse. The VHRFA-1 program has multiple functional modules: it first uses service provided by the IMGT/V-QUEST program to assign potential VH, DH, and JH germline genes; then, it searches for VH replacement footprint motifs within the VH–DH junction (N1) regions of IgH gene sequences to identify potential VH replacement products; it can also analyze the frequencies of VH replacement products in correlation with publications, keywords, or VH, DH, and JH gene usages, and mutation status; it can further analyze the amino acid usages encoded by the identified VH replacement footprints. In summary, this program provides a useful computation tool for exploring the biological significance of VH replacement products in human and mouse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lin Huang
- Department of Pathology and Microbiology, University of Nebraska Medical Center , Omaha, NE , USA
| | - Miles D Lange
- Department of Pathology and Microbiology, University of Nebraska Medical Center , Omaha, NE , USA
| | - Zhixin Zhang
- Department of Pathology and Microbiology, University of Nebraska Medical Center , Omaha, NE , USA ; Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer, University of Nebraska Medical Center , Omaha, NE , USA
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Liu J, Lange MD, Hong SY, Xie W, Xu K, Huang L, Yu Y, Ehrhardt GRA, Zemlin M, Burrows PD, Su K, Carter RH, Zhang Z. Regulation of VH replacement by B cell receptor-mediated signaling in human immature B cells. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2013; 190:5559-66. [PMID: 23630348 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1102503] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
VH replacement provides a unique RAG-mediated recombination mechanism to edit nonfunctional IgH genes or IgH genes encoding self-reactive BCRs and contributes to the diversification of Ab repertoire in the mouse and human. Currently, it is not clear how VH replacement is regulated during early B lineage cell development. In this article, we show that cross-linking BCRs induces VH replacement in human EU12 μHC(+) cells and in the newly emigrated immature B cells purified from peripheral blood of healthy donors or tonsillar samples. BCR signaling-induced VH replacement is dependent on the activation of Syk and Src kinases but is inhibited by CD19 costimulation, presumably through activation of the PI3K pathway. These results show that VH replacement is regulated by BCR-mediated signaling in human immature B cells, which can be modulated by physiological and pharmacological treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Liu
- Department of Pathology and Microbiology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, USA
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Briney BS, Jr. JEC. Secondary mechanisms of diversification in the human antibody repertoire. Front Immunol 2013; 4:42. [PMID: 23483107 PMCID: PMC3593266 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2013.00042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2012] [Accepted: 02/05/2013] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
V(D)J recombination and somatic hypermutation (SHM) are the primary mechanisms for diversification of the human antibody repertoire. These mechanisms allow for rapid humoral immune responses to a wide range of pathogenic challenges. V(D)J recombination efficiently generate a virtually limitless diversity through random recombination of variable (V), diversity (D), and joining (J) genes with diverse non-templated junctions between the selected gene segments. Following antigen stimulation, affinity maturation by SHM produces antibodies with refined specificity mediated by mutations typically focused in complementarity determining regions (CDRs), which form the bulk of the antigen recognition site. While V(D)J recombination and SHM are responsible for much of the diversity of the antibody repertoire, there are several secondary mechanisms that, while less frequent, make substantial contributions to antibody diversity including V(DD)J recombination (or D-D fusion), SHM-associated insertions and deletions, and affinity maturation and antigen contact by non-CDR regions of the antibody. In addition to enhanced diversity, these mechanisms allow the production of antibodies that are critical to response to a variety of viral and bacterial pathogens but that would be difficult to generate using only the primary mechanisms of diversification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bryan S. Briney
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical CenterNashville, TN, USA
| | - James E. Crowe Jr.
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical CenterNashville, TN, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Vanderbilt University Medical CenterNashville, TN, USA
- The Vanderbilt Vaccine Center, Vanderbilt University Medical CenterNashville, TN, USA
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12
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Huang L, Lange MD, Yu Y, Li S, Su K, Zhang Z. Contribution of V(H) replacement products in mouse antibody repertoire. PLoS One 2013; 8:e57877. [PMID: 23469094 PMCID: PMC3585286 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0057877] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2012] [Accepted: 01/30/2013] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
VH replacement occurs through RAG-mediated recombination between the cryptic recombination signal sequence (cRSS) near the 3′ end of a rearranged VH gene and the 23-bp RSS from an upstream unrearranged VH gene. Due to the location of the cRSS, VH replacement leaves a short stretch of nucleotides from the previously rearranged VH gene at the newly formed V-D junction, which can be used as a marker to identify VH replacement products. To determine the contribution of VH replacement products to mouse antibody repertoire, we developed a Java-based VH Replacement Footprint Analyzer (VHRFA) program and analyzed 17,179 mouse IgH gene sequences from the NCBI database to identify VH replacement products. The overall frequency of VH replacement products in these IgH genes is 5.29% based on the identification of pentameric VH replacement footprints at their V-D junctions. The identified VH replacement products are distributed similarly in IgH genes using most families of VH genes, although different families of VH genes are used differentially. The frequencies of VH replacement products are significantly elevated in IgH genes derived from several strains of autoimmune prone mice and in IgH genes encoding autoantibodies. Moreover, the identified VH replacement footprints in IgH genes from autoimmune prone mice or IgH genes encoding autoantibodies preferentially encode positively charged amino acids. These results revealed a significant contribution of VH replacement products to the diversification of antibody repertoire and potentially, to the generation of autoantibodies in mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lin Huang
- Department of Pathology and Microbiology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska, United States of America
| | - Miles D. Lange
- Department of Pathology and Microbiology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska, United States of America
| | - Yangsheng Yu
- Department of Pathology and Microbiology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska, United States of America
| | - Song Li
- Department of Pathology and Microbiology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska, United States of America
| | - Kaihong Su
- Department of Pathology and Microbiology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska, United States of America
- The Eppley Cancer Institute, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska, United States of America
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska, United States of America
| | - Zhixin Zhang
- Department of Pathology and Microbiology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska, United States of America
- The Eppley Cancer Institute, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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13
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Sun Y, Liu Z, Li Z, Lian Z, Zhao Y. Phylogenetic conservation of the 3' cryptic recombination signal sequence (3'cRSS) in the VH genes of jawed vertebrates. Front Immunol 2012; 3:392. [PMID: 23267360 PMCID: PMC3526766 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2012.00392] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2012] [Accepted: 12/05/2012] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The VH replacement process is a RAG-mediated secondary recombination in which the variable region of a rearranged VHDJH is replaced by a different germline VH gene. In almost all human and mouse VH genes, two sequence features appear to be crucial for VH replacement. First, an embedded heptamer, which is located near the 3' end of the rearranged VH gene, serves as a cryptic recombination signal sequence (3'cRSS) for the VH replacement process. Second, a short stretch of nucleotides located downstream of the 3'cRSS serve as a footprint of the original VH region, frequently encoding charged amino acids. In this review, we show that both of these two features are conserved in the VH genes of all jawed vertebrates, which suggests that the VH replacement process may be a conserved mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, College of Biological Sciences, China Agricultural University Beijing, China
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14
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Liao H, Guo JT, Lange MD, Fan R, Zemlin M, Su K, Guan Y, Zhang Z. Contribution of V(H) replacement products to the generation of anti-HIV antibodies. Clin Immunol 2012; 146:46-55. [PMID: 23220404 DOI: 10.1016/j.clim.2012.11.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2012] [Revised: 09/24/2012] [Accepted: 11/07/2012] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
V(H) replacement occurs through RAG-mediated secondary recombination to change unwanted IgH genes and diversify antibody repertoire. The biological significance of V(H) replacement remains to be explored. Here, we show that V(H) replacement products are highly enriched in IgH genes encoding anti-HIV antibodies, including anti-gp41, anti-V3 loop, anti-gp120, CD4i, and PGT antibodies. In particular, 73% of the CD4i antibodies and 100% of the PGT antibodies are encoded by potential VH replacement products. Such frequencies are significantly higher than those in IgH genes derived from HIV infected individuals or autoimmune patients. The identified V(H) replacement products encoding anti-HIV antibodies are highly mutated; the V(H) replacement "footprints" within CD4i antibodies preferentially encode negatively charged amino acids within the IgH CDR3; many IgH encoding PGT antibodies are likely generated from multiple rounds of V(H) replacement. Taken together, these findings uncovered a potentially significant contribution of V(H) replacement products to the generation of anti-HIV antibodies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongyan Liao
- Department of Pathology and Microbiology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, USA
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15
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Meng W, Yunk L, Wang LS, Maganty A, Xue E, Cohen PL, Eisenberg RA, Weigert MG, Mancini SJC, Prak ETL. Selection of individual VH genes occurs at the pro-B to pre-B cell transition. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2011; 187:1835-44. [PMID: 21746964 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1100207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
B cells are subjected to selection at multiple checkpoints during their development. The selection of Ab H chains is difficult to study because of the large diversity of the CDR3. To study the selection of individual Ab H chain V region genes (V(H)), we performed CDR3 spectratyping of ∼ 75-300 rearrangements per individual V(H) in C57BL6/J mice. We measured the fraction of rearrangements that were in-frame in B cell DNA. We demonstrate that individual V(H)s have different fractions of in-frame rearrangements (IF fractions) ranging from 10 to 90% and that these IF fractions are reproducible in different mice. For most V(H)s, the IF fraction in pro-B cells approximated 33% and then shifted to the nearly final (mature) B cell value by the cycling pre-B cell stage. The frequency of high in-frame (IF) V(H) usage increased in cycling pre-B cells compared with that in pro-B cells, whereas this did not occur for low IF V(H)s. The IF fraction did not shift as much in BCR-expressing B cells and was minimally affected by L chain usage for most V(H). High IF clan II/III V(H)s share more positively charged CDR2 sequences, whereas high IF clan I J558 CDR2 sequences are diverse. These data indicate that individual V(H)s are subjected to differential selection, that V(H) IF fraction is mainly established through pre-BCR-mediated selection, that it may operate differently in clan I versus II/III V(H)s, and that it has a lasting influence on the Ab repertoire.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenzhao Meng
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
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16
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Alternative mechanisms of receptor editing in autoreactive B cells. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2011; 108:7125-30. [PMID: 21471456 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1019389108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Pathogenic anti-DNA antibodies expressed in systemic lupus erythematosis bind DNA mainly through electrostatic interactions between the positively charged Arg residues of the antibody complementarity determining region (CDR) and the negatively charged phosphate groups of DNA. The importance of Arg in CDR3 for DNA binding has been shown in mice with transgenes coding for anti-DNA V(H) regions; there is also a close correlation between arginines in CDR3 of antibodies and DNA binding. Codons for Arg can readily be formed by V(D)J rearrangement; thereby, antibodies that bind DNA are part of the preimmune repertoire. Anti-DNAs in healthy mice are regulated by receptor editing, a mechanism that replaces κ light (L) chains compatible with DNA binding with κ L chains that harbor aspartic residues. This negatively charged amino acid is thought to neutralize Arg sites in the V(H). Editing by replacement is allowed at the κ locus, because the rearranged VJ is nested between unrearranged Vs and Js. However, neither λ nor heavy (H) chain loci are organized so as to allow such second rearrangements. In this study, we analyze regulation of anti-DNA H chains in mice that lack the κ locus, κ-/κ- mice. These mice show that the endogenous preimmune repertoire does indeed include a high frequency of antibodies with Arg in their CDR3s (putative anti-DNAs) and they are associated mainly with the editor L chain λx. The editing mechanisms in the case of λ-expressing B cells include L chain allelic inclusion and V(H) replacement.
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17
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Luning Prak ET, Monestier M, Eisenberg RA. B cell receptor editing in tolerance and autoimmunity. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2011; 1217:96-121. [PMID: 21251012 DOI: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.2010.05877.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Receptor editing is the process of ongoing antibody gene rearrangement in a lymphocyte that already has a functional antigen receptor. The expression of a functional antigen receptor will normally terminate further rearrangement (allelic exclusion). However, lymphocytes with autoreactive receptors have a chance at escaping negative regulation by "editing" the specificities of their receptors with additional antibody gene rearrangements. As such, editing complicates the Clonal Selection Hypothesis because edited cells are not simply endowed for life with a single, invariant antigen receptor. Furthermore, if the initial immunoglobulin gene is not inactivated during the editing process, allelic exclusion is violated and the B cell can exhibit two specificities. Here, we describe the discovery of editing, the pathways of receptor editing at the heavy (H) and light (L) chain loci, and current evidence regarding how and where editing happens and what effects it has on the antibody repertoire.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eline T Luning Prak
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
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18
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Abstract
The allelic exclusion of immunoglobulin (Ig) genes is one of the most evolutionarily conserved features of the adaptive immune system and underlies the monospecificity of B cells. While much has been learned about how Ig allelic exclusion is established during B-cell development, the relevance of monospecificity to B-cell function remains enigmatic. Here, we review the theoretical models that have been proposed to explain the establishment of Ig allelic exclusion and focus on the molecular mechanisms utilized by developing B cells to ensure the monoallelic expression of Ig kappa and Ig lambda light chain genes. We also discuss the physiological consequences of Ig allelic exclusion and speculate on the importance of monospecificity of B cells for immune recognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Vettermann
- Division of Immunology & Pathogenesis, Department of Molecular & Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
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19
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Guo W, Smith D, Aviszus K, Detanico T, Heiser RA, Wysocki LJ. Somatic hypermutation as a generator of antinuclear antibodies in a murine model of systemic autoimmunity. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2010; 207:2225-37. [PMID: 20805563 PMCID: PMC2947070 DOI: 10.1084/jem.20092712] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is characterized by high-avidity IgG antinuclear antibodies (ANAs) that are almost certainly products of T cell–dependent immune responses. Whether critical amino acids in the third complementarity-determining region (CDR3) of the ANA originate from V(D)J recombination or somatic hypermutation (SHM) is not known. We studied a mouse model of SLE in which all somatic mutations within ANA V regions, including those in CDR3, could be unequivocally identified. Mutation reversion analyses revealed that ANA arose predominantly from nonautoreactive B cells that diversified immunoglobulin genes via SHM. The resolution afforded by this model allowed us to demonstrate that one ANA clone was generated by SHM after a VH gene replacement event. Mutations producing arginine substitutions were frequent and arose largely (66%) from base changes in just two codons: AGC and AGT. These codons are abundant in the repertoires of mouse and human V genes. Our findings reveal the predominant role of SHM in the development of ANA and underscore the importance of self-tolerance checkpoints at the postmutational stage of B cell differentiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenzhong Guo
- Integrated Department of Immunology, National Jewish Health and 2 University of Colorado, Denver, CO 80206, USA
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20
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Lieberman AE, Kuraoka M, Davila M, Kelsoe G, Cowell LG. Conserved cryptic recombination signals in Vkappa gene segments are cleaved in small pre-B cells. BMC Immunol 2009; 10:37. [PMID: 19555491 PMCID: PMC2711918 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2172-10-37] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2008] [Accepted: 06/25/2009] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The cleavage of recombination signals (RS) at the boundaries of immunoglobulin V, D, and J gene segments initiates the somatic generation of the antigen receptor genes expressed by B lymphocytes. RS contain a conserved heptamer and nonamer motif separated by non-conserved spacers of 12 or 23 nucleotides. Under physiologic conditions, V(D)J recombination follows the "12/23 rule" to assemble functional antigen-receptor genes, i.e., cleavage and recombination occur only between RS with dissimilar spacer types. Functional, cryptic RS (cRS) have been identified in VH gene segments; these VH cRS were hypothesized to facilitate self-tolerance by mediating VH --> VHDJH replacements. At the Igkappa locus, however, secondary, de novo rearrangements can delete autoreactive VkappaJkappa joins. Thus, under the hypothesis that V-embedded cRS are conserved to facilitate self-tolerance by mediating V-replacement rearrangements, there would be little selection for Vkappa cRS. Recent studies have demonstrated that VH cRS cleavage is only modestly more efficient than V(D)J recombination in violation of the 12/23 rule and first occurs in pro-B cells unable to interact with exogenous antigens. These results are inconsistent with a model of cRS cleavage during autoreactivity-induced VH gene replacement. RESULTS To test the hypothesis that cRS are absent from Vkappa gene segments, a corollary of the hypothesis that the need for tolerizing VH replacements is responsible for the selection pressure to maintain VH cRS, we searched for cRS in mouse Vkappa gene segments using a statistical model of RS. Scans of 135 mouse Vkappa gene segments revealed highly conserved cRS that were shown to be cleaved in the 103/BCL2 cell line and mouse bone marrow B cells. Analogous to results for VH cRS, we find that Vkappa cRS are conserved at multiple locations in Vkappa gene segments and are cleaved in pre-B cells. CONCLUSION Our results, together with those for VH cRS, support a model of cRS cleavage in which cleavage is independent of BCR-specificity. Our results are inconsistent with the hypothesis that cRS are conserved solely to support receptor editing. The extent to which these sequences are conserved, and their pattern of conservation, suggest that they may serve an as yet unidentified purpose.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne E Lieberman
- Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | | | - Marco Davila
- Department of Medicine, Division of Medical Oncology, Memorial Sloan-Kettering, New York, NY, USA
| | - Garnett Kelsoe
- Department of Immunology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Lindsay G Cowell
- Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
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21
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Lange MD, Waldbieser GC, Lobb CJ. Patterns of receptor revision in the immunoglobulin heavy chains of a teleost fish. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2009; 182:5605-22. [PMID: 19380808 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.0801013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
H chain cDNA libraries were constructed from the RNA derived from seven different organs and tissues from the same individual catfish. Sequence analysis of >300 randomly selected clones identified clonal set members within the same or different tissues, and some of these represented mosaic or hybrid sequences. These hybrids expressed V(H) members of the same or different V(H) families within different regions of the same clone. Within some clonal sets multiple hybrids were identified, and some of these represented the products of sequential V(H) replacement events. Different experimental methods confirmed that hybrid clones identified in the cDNA library from one tissue could be reisolated in the cDNA pool or from the total RNA derived from the same or a different tissue, indicating that these hybrids likely represented the products of in vivo receptor revision events. Murine statistical recombination models were used to evaluate cryptic recombination signal sequences (cRSS), and significant cRSS pairs in the predicted V(H) donor and recipient were identified. These models supported the hypothesis that seamless revisions may have occurred via hybrid joint formation. The heptamers of the cRSS pairs were located at different locations within the coding region, and different events resulted in the replacement of one or both CDR as well as events that replaced the upstream untranslated region and the leader region. These studies provide phylogenetic evidence that receptor revision may occur in clonally expanded B cell lineages, which supports the hypothesis that additional levels of somatic H chain diversification may exist.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miles D Lange
- Department of Microbiology, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS 39216, USA
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22
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Nakajima PB, Kiefer K, Price A, Bosma GC, Bosma MJ. Two distinct populations of H chain-edited B cells show differential surrogate L chain dependence. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2009; 182:3583-96. [PMID: 19265137 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.0802533] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Developing autoreactive B cells may edit (change) their specificity by secondary H or L chain gene rearrangement. Recently, using mice hemizygous for a site-directed VDJH and VJkappa transgene (tg) encoding an autoreactive Ab, we reported ongoing L chain editing not only in bone marrow cells with a pre-B/immature B cell phenotype but also in immature/transitional splenic B cells. Using the same transgenic model, we report here that editing at the H chain locus appears to occur exclusively in bone marrow cells with a pro-B phenotype. H chain editing is shown to involve VH replacement at the tg allele or VH rearrangement at the wild-type (wt) allele when the tg is inactivated by nonproductive VH replacement. VH replacement/rearrangement at the tg/wt alleles was found to entail diverse usage of VH genes. Whereas the development of edited B cells expressing the wt allele was dependent on the lambda5 component of the surrogate L chain, the development of B cells expressing the tg allele, including those with VH replacement, appeared to be lambda5 independent. We suggest that the unique CDR3 region of the tg-encoded muH chain is responsible for the lambda5 independence of tg-expressing B cells.
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23
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Keenan RA, De Riva A, Corleis B, Hepburn L, Licence S, Winkler TH, Mårtensson IL. Censoring of Autoreactive B Cell Development by the Pre-B Cell Receptor. Science 2008; 321:696-9. [PMID: 18566249 DOI: 10.1126/science.1157533] [Citation(s) in RCA: 97] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca A Keenan
- Laboratory of Lymphocyte Signalling and Development, Babraham Institute, Cambridge CB22 3AT, UK
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24
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Schram BR, Tze LE, Ramsey LB, Liu J, Najera L, Vegoe AL, Hardy RR, Hippen KL, Farrar MA, Behrens TW. B cell receptor basal signaling regulates antigen-induced Ig light chain rearrangements. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2008; 180:4728-41. [PMID: 18354197 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.180.7.4728] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
BCR editing in the bone marrow contributes to B cell tolerance by orchestrating secondary Ig rearrangements in self-reactive B cells. We have recently shown that loss of the BCR or a pharmacologic blockade of BCR proximal signaling pathways results in a global "back-differentiation" response in which immature B cells down-regulate genes important for the mature B cell program and up-regulate genes characteristic of earlier stages of B cell development. These observations led us to test the hypothesis that self-Ag-induced down-regulation of the BCR, and not self-Ag-induced positive signals, lead to Rag induction and hence receptor editing. Supporting this hypothesis, we found that immature B cells from xid (x-linked immunodeficiency) mice induce re-expression of a Rag2-GFP bacterial artificial chromosome reporter as well as wild-type immature B cells following Ag incubation. Incubation of immature B cells with self-Ag leads to a striking reversal in differentiation to the pro-/pre-B stage of development, consistent with the idea that back-differentiation results in the reinduction of genes required for L chain rearrangement and receptor editing. Importantly, Rag induction, the back-differentiation response to Ag, and editing in immature and pre-B cells are inhibited by a combination of phorbol ester and calcium ionophore, agents that bypass proximal signaling pathways and mimic BCR signaling. Thus, mimicking positive BCR signals actually inhibits receptor editing. These findings support a model whereby Ag-induced receptor editing is inhibited by BCR basal signaling on developing B cells; BCR down-regulation removes this basal signal, thereby initiating receptor editing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian R Schram
- Center for Immunology, Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota Medical School, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
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25
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Volpe JM, Kepler TB. Large-scale analysis of human heavy chain V(D)J recombination patterns. Immunome Res 2008; 4:3. [PMID: 18304322 PMCID: PMC2275228 DOI: 10.1186/1745-7580-4-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2007] [Accepted: 02/27/2008] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The processes involved in the somatic assembly of antigen receptor genes are unique to the immune system and are driven largely by random events. Subtle biases, however, may exist and provide clues to the molecular mechanisms involved in their assembly and selection. Large-scale efforts to provide baseline data about the genetic characteristics of immunoglobulin (Ig) genes and the mechanisms involved in their assembly have recently become possible due to the rapid growth of genetic databases. Results We gathered and analyzed nearly 6,500 productive human Ig heavy chain genes and compared them with 325 non-productive Ig genes that were originally rearranged out of frame and therefore incapable of being biased by selection. We found evidence for differences in n-nucleotide tract length distributions which have interesting interpretations for the mechanisms involved in n-nucleotide polymerization. Additionally, we found striking statistical evidence for pairing preferences among D and J segments. We present a statistical model to support our hypothesis that these pairing biases are due to multiple sequential D-to-J rearrangements. Conclusion We present here the most precise estimates of gene segment usage frequencies currently available along with analyses regarding n-nucleotide distributions and D-J segment pair preferences. Additionally, we provide the first statistical evidence that sequential D-J recombinations occur at the human heavy chain locus during B-cell ontogeny with an approximate frequency of 20%.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph M Volpe
- Center for Computational Immunology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA.
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26
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Davila M, Liu F, Cowell LG, Lieberman AE, Heikamp E, Patel A, Kelsoe G. Multiple, conserved cryptic recombination signals in VH gene segments: detection of cleavage products only in pro B cells. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2007; 204:3195-208. [PMID: 18056287 PMCID: PMC2150985 DOI: 10.1084/jem.20071224] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Receptor editing is believed to play the major role in purging newly formed B cell compartments of autoreactivity by the induction of secondary V(D)J rearrangements. In the process of immunoglobulin heavy (H) chain editing, these secondary rearrangements are mediated by direct VH-to-JH joining or cryptic recombination signals (cRSs) within VH gene segments. Using a statistical model of RS, we have identified potential cRSs within VH gene segments at conserved sites flanking complementarity-determining regions 1 and 2. These cRSs are active in extrachromosomal recombination assays and cleaved during normal B cell development. Cleavage of multiple VH cRSs was observed in the bone marrow of C57BL/6 and RAG2:GFP and μMT congenic animals, and we determined that cRS cleavage efficiencies are 30–50-fold lower than a physiological RS. cRS signal ends are abundant in pro–B cells, including those recovered from μMT mice, but undetectable in pre– or immature B cells. Thus, VH cRS cleavage regularly occurs before the generation of functional preBCR and BCR. Conservation of cRSs distal from the 3′ end of VH gene segments suggests a function for these cryptic signals other than VH gene replacement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco Davila
- Department of Immunology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA
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Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW Significant progress has been made over recent years in uncovering the B-cell tolerance mechanisms that control development of autoreactive antibodies. This review examines current knowledge on the regulation and selection of autoreactive B cells in mouse models, and in healthy humans and patients with autoimmune disorders. RECENT FINDINGS Autoreactive B cells undergo stringent selection either in the bone marrow or peripheral circulation by deletion, induction of anergy, or receptor editing. There is growing evidence that receptor editing represents the primary physiologic B-cell tolerance mechanism. Several checkpoints against autoreactive B cells have been established in bone marrow and peripheral blood of healthy humans. Recent studies demonstrate that some autoimmune disorders are associated with several alterations in B-cell tolerance checkpoints and often lead to a greater number of autoreactive B cells in the circulation. SUMMARY Discovering the precise nature of B-cell tolerance alterations in patients with autoimmune diseases will lead to the identification of new targets for therapeutic interventions in patients with these disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sergey Yurasov
- Molecular Immunology, The Rockefeller University, New York, New York, USA
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28
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Nossal GJ. How is tolerance generated? CIBA FOUNDATION SYMPOSIUM 2007; 129:59-72. [PMID: 2960502 DOI: 10.1002/9780470513484.ch5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
There are three major, overlapping theories that account for immunological tolerance. The first is that the repertoires of T and B lymphocytes are somehow purged, actually or functionally, of potentially self-reactive immunocytes. There are three subvariants of this theory, namely clonal deletion, clonal abortion and clonal anergy. Clonal anergy, an antigen-driven down-regulation of immunocyte responsiveness, is preferred on experimental grounds. The second theory is that self-reactive lymphocytes exist but are constantly held in check by suppressor cells. The suppressor cells have not been shown to possess the capacity to discriminate between self and not self. The third theory is that self antigens, through reasons of accessibility and processing, never enter the afferent limb of immune induction effectively. The contributions which each postulated mechanism make are different and all three may enter the picture in some tolerance models. Repertoire purging, if it exists, must be incomplete, because self-reactive B and T cells can readily be detected and stimulated in vitro. For repertoire purging to survive as a concept it must be redefined in terms of the type of antigen to which it is supposed to apply (e.g. ubiquitous cell-surface antigens) and the affinity cut-off point below which it is not reasonable to expect purging. Some of the technical issues impeding speedy experimental solutions centre on the permissive character of the antibody-mediated or cell-mediated lysis assays in current use.
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Affiliation(s)
- G J Nossal
- Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Victoria, Australia
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29
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Schlissel MS. The regulation of receptor editing. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2007; 596:173-9. [PMID: 17338187 DOI: 10.1007/0-387-46530-8_17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Mark S Schlissel
- University of California, 439 LSA (#3200), Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
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30
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Zhang Z. VH replacement in mice and humans. Trends Immunol 2007; 28:132-7. [PMID: 17258935 DOI: 10.1016/j.it.2007.01.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2006] [Revised: 01/02/2007] [Accepted: 01/18/2007] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Heavy chain variable segment (V(H)) replacement refers to recombination activating gene (RAG) product-mediated secondary recombination between a previously rearranged V(H) gene and an upstream unrearranged V(H) gene. V(H) replacement was first observed in mouse pre-B cell lines and later demonstrated in knock-in mouse models carrying immunoglobulin heavy chain (IgH) genes encoding self-reactive or mono-specific antibodies or non-functional IgH rearrangements on both IgH alleles. Despite these findings, it is still difficult to find V(H) replacement intermediates during normal murine B cell development. In humans, ongoing V(H) replacement was found in a clonal B lineage EU12 cell line and in human bone marrow immature B cells. The identification of potential V(H) replacement products also suggested a potential contribution of V(H) replacement to the antibody repertoire. Here, I review the evidence for whether V(H) replacement genuinely offers an in vivo RAG-mediated recombinatorial mechanism to alter preformed IgH genes in mice and humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhixin Zhang
- Division of Developmental and Clinical Immunology, Departments of Medicine and Microbiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA.
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31
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Lutz J, Müller W, Jäck HM. VH replacement rescues progenitor B cells with two nonproductive VDJ alleles. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2007; 177:7007-14. [PMID: 17082616 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.177.10.7007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Inaccurate VDJ rearrangements generate a large number of progenitor (pro)-B cells with two nonproductive IgH alleles. Such cells lack essential survival signals mediated by surface IgM heavy chain (muH chain) expression and are normally eliminated. However, secondary rearrangements of upstream VH gene segments into assembled VDJ exons have been described in mice transgenic for productive muH chains, a process known as VH replacement. If VH replacement was independent of muH chain signals, it could also modify nonproductive VDJ exons and thus rescue pro-B cells with unsuccessful rearrangements on both alleles. To test this hypothesis, we homologously replaced the JH cluster of a mouse with a nonproductive VDJ exon. Surprisingly, B cell development in IgHVDJ-/VDJ- mice was only slightly impaired and significant numbers of IgM-positive B cells were produced. DNA sequencing confirmed that all VDJ sequences from muH chain-positive B lymphoid cells were generated by VH replacement in a RAG-dependent manner. Another unique feature of our transgenic mice was the presence of IgH chains with unusually long CDR3-H regions. Such IgH chains were functional and only modestly counter-selected, arguing against a strict length constraint for CDR3-H regions. In conclusion, VH replacement can occur in the absence of a muH chain signal and provides a potential rescue mechanism for pro-B cells with two nonproductive IgH alleles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johannes Lutz
- Division of Molecular Immunology, Department of Internal Medicine III, Nikolaus-Fiebiger-Center of Molecular Medicine, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
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32
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Abstract
The specificities of lymphocytes for antigen are generated by a quasi-random process of gene rearrangement that often results in non-functional or autoreactive antigen receptors. Regulation of lymphocyte specificities involves not only the elimination of cells that display 'unsuitable' receptors for antigen but also the active genetic correction of these receptors by secondary recombination of the DNA. As I discuss here, an important mechanism for the genetic correction of antigen receptors is ongoing recombination, which leads to receptor editing. Receptor editing is probably an adaptation that is necessitated by the high probability of receptor autoreactivity. In both B cells and T cells, the genes that encode the two chains of the antigen receptor seem to be specialized to promote, on the one hand, the generation of diverse specificities and, on the other hand, the regulation of these specificities through efficient editing.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Nemazee
- Department of Immunology, The Scripps Research Institute, Mail Drop IMM-29, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, California 92037, USA.
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33
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Watson LC, Moffatt-Blue CS, McDonald RZ, Kompfner E, Ait-Azzouzene D, Nemazee D, Theofilopoulos AN, Kono DH, Feeney AJ. Paucity of V-D-D-J rearrangements and VH replacement events in lupus prone and nonautoimmune TdT-/- and TdT+/+ mice. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2006; 177:1120-8. [PMID: 16818769 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.177.2.1120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
CDR3 regions containing two D segments, or containing the footprints of V(H) replacement events, have been reported in both mice and humans. However, the 12-23 bp rule for V(D)J recombination predicts that D-D rearrangements, which would occur between 2 recombination signal sequences (RSSs) with 12-bp spacers, should be extremely disfavored, and the cryptic RSS used for V(H) replacement is very inefficient. We have previously shown that newborn mice, which lack TdT due to the late onset of its expression, do not contain any CDR3 with D-D rearrangements. In the present study, we test our hypothesis that most D-D rearrangements are due to fortuitous matching of the second apparent D segment by TdT-introduced N nucleotides. We analyzed 518 sequences from adult MRL/lpr- and C57BL/6 TdT-deficient B cell precursors and found only two examples of CDR3 with D-D rearrangements and one example of a potential V(H) replacement event. We examined rearrangements from pre-B cells, marginal zone B cells, and follicular B cells from mice congenic for the Lbw5 (Sle3/5) lupus susceptibility loci and from other strains of mice and found very few examples of CDR3 with D-D rearrangements. We assayed B progenitor cells, and cells enriched for receptor editing, for DNA breaks at the "cryptic heptamer" but such breaks were rare. We conclude that many examples of apparent D-D rearrangements in the mouse are likely due to N additions that fortuitously match short stretches of D genes and that D-D rearrangements and V(H) replacement are rare occurrences in the mouse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa C Watson
- The Scripps Research Institute, Department of Immunology, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
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34
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Miller JP, Stadanlick JE, Cancro MP. Space, selection, and surveillance: setting boundaries with BLyS. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2006; 176:6405-10. [PMID: 16709796 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.176.11.6405] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
The BLyS family of ligands and receptors governs B cell homeostasis by controlling survival, differentiation, and lifespan. This family consists of multiple receptors and ligands, allowing independent regulation of different B cell subsets by varying the combination and levels of receptors expressed. Multiple downstream signaling pathways are implicated in these activities, reflecting this receptor complexity as well as cross-talk with other B cell signaling systems. BLyS levels are associated with multiple forms of humoral autoimmunity and can modulate tolerogenic elimination at the transitional checkpoint. BLyS responsiveness thus balances peripheral selection against cell numbers, providing an elastic system that varies selective stringency based on homeostatic demands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juli P Miller
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
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35
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Koralov SB, Novobrantseva TI, Königsmann J, Ehlich A, Rajewsky K. Antibody Repertoires Generated by VH Replacement and Direct VH to JH Joining. Immunity 2006; 25:43-53. [PMID: 16860756 DOI: 10.1016/j.immuni.2006.04.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2006] [Revised: 03/09/2006] [Accepted: 04/25/2006] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
The immunoglobulin heavy chain repertoire is generated by somatic rearrangement of variable (V(H)), diversity (D(H)), and joining (J(H)) elements. It can be further diversified by V(H) replacement, where nonrearranged V(H) genes invade preexisting V(H)D(H)J(H) joints. To study the impact and mechanism of V(H) replacement, we generated mice in which antibody production depends on the replacement of a nonproductive V(H)D(H)J(H) rearrangement inserted into its physiological position in the immunoglobulin heavy chain locus. In these mice a highly diverse heavy chain repertoire resulted from V(H) replacement and a second process of noncanonical V(D)J recombination, direct V(H) to J(H) joining. V(H) replacement rarely generated detectable sequence duplications but often proceeded through recombination between the conserved homologous sequences at the 3' end of V(H). Thus, V(H) replacement is an efficient mechanism of antibody diversification, and its impact on the overall antibody repertoire could be greater than anticipated because it frequently leaves no molecular footprint.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sergei B Koralov
- The CBR Institute for Biomedical Research, Harvard Medical School, 200 Longwood Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
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36
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Jung D, Giallourakis C, Mostoslavsky R, Alt FW. Mechanism and control of V(D)J recombination at the immunoglobulin heavy chain locus. Annu Rev Immunol 2006; 24:541-70. [PMID: 16551259 DOI: 10.1146/annurev.immunol.23.021704.115830] [Citation(s) in RCA: 435] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
V(D)J recombination assembles antigen receptor variable region genes from component germline variable (V), diversity (D), and joining (J) gene segments. For B cells, such rearrangements lead to the production of immunoglobulin (Ig) proteins composed of heavy and light chains. V(D)J is tightly controlled at the Ig heavy chain locus (IgH) at several different levels, including cell-type specificity, intra- and interlocus ordering, and allelic exclusion. Such controls are mediated at the level of gene segment accessibility to V(D)J recombinase activity. Although much has been learned, many long-standing questions regarding the regulation of IgH locus rearrangements remain to be elucidated. In this review, we summarize advances that have been made in understanding how V(D)J recombination at the IgH locus is controlled and discuss important areas for future investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Jung
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Children's Hospital, CBR Institute for Biomedical Research, and Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.
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37
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Darlow JM, Stott DI. Gene conversion in human rearranged immunoglobulin genes. Immunogenetics 2006; 58:511-22. [PMID: 16705406 DOI: 10.1007/s00251-006-0113-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2005] [Revised: 02/23/2006] [Accepted: 03/16/2006] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Over the past 20 years, many DNA sequences have been published suggesting that all or part of the V(H) segment of a rearranged immunoglobulin gene may be replaced in vivo. Two different mechanisms appear to be operating. One of these is very similar to primary V(D)J recombination, involving the RAG proteins acting upon recombination signal sequences, and this has recently been proven to occur. Other sequences, many of which show partial V(H) replacements with no addition of untemplated nucleotides at the V(H)-V(H) joint, have been proposed to occur by an unusual RAG-mediated recombination with the formation of hybrid (coding-to-signal) joints. These appear to occur in cells already undergoing somatic hypermutation in which, some authors are convinced, RAG genes are silenced. We recently proposed that the latter type of V(H) replacement might occur by homologous recombination initiated by the activity of AID (activation-induced cytidine deaminase), which is essential for somatic hypermutation and gene conversion. The latter has been observed in other species, but not in human Ig genes, so far. In this paper, we present a new analysis of sequences published as examples of the second type of rearrangement. This not only shows that AID recognition motifs occur in recombination regions but also that some sequences show replacement of central sections by a sequence from another gene, similar to gene conversion in the immunoglobulin genes of other species. These observations support the proposal that this type of rearrangement is likely to be AID-mediated rather than RAG-mediated and is consistent with gene conversion.
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Affiliation(s)
- John M Darlow
- Department of Immunology, Level 4, Glasgow Biomedical Research Centre, 120 University Place, Glasgow, G12 8TA, UK.
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38
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Liu Y, Fan R, Zhou S, Yu Z, Zhang Z. Potential Contribution of VH Gene Replacement in Immunity and Disease. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2005; 1062:175-81. [PMID: 16461800 DOI: 10.1196/annals.1358.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
VH replacement occurs through RAG-mediated recombination between a cryptic recombination signal sequence (cRSS) presented in a rearranged VH gene and a 23-bp RSS from an upstream VH gene. VH replacement renews the entire VH coding region and extends the immunoglobulin heavy-chain (IgH) CDR3 regions preferentially with charged amino acids. VH replacement occurs in bone marrow-immature B cells and contributes significantly to the primary B-cell repertoire in humans. However, the biological significance of VH replacement is not clear. Our recent studies revealed elevated frequencies of VH replacement products in different autoimmune diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, and Sjögren's syndrome. Moreover, elevated frequencies of VH replacement products were also found in patients with human immunodeficiency virus or hepatitis C virus infections. These results provide the first clue that VH replacement contributes to autoimmune disease and antiviral immunity, and they also suggest a potential link between viral infection and autoimmune disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanwen Liu
- Division of Developmental and Clinical Immunology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, WTI378, 1824 6th Ave. S., Birmingham, AL 35294-3300, USA
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39
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Abstract
Lymphocyte homeostasis encompasses a continuum of processes that together determine the production, turnover, composition, and representation of lymphocyte pools. These processes include commitment to lymphoid lineages, expansion of progenitor pools, successful transit through intermediate maturation stages, negative and positive selection based on receptor specificity, steady-state maintenance of peripheral lymphocytes, and regulation of antigen-driven activation. Understanding the impact of aging on lymphocyte homeostasis thus requires appreciation of not only the mechanisms responsible for generating and sustaining antigen-reactive B and T cells but also how age-related events can subvert these. Even under the influence of normally operating homeostatic mechanisms, lesions yielding perturbations outside of evolutionarily anticipated boundaries will yield aberrant lymphoid function and representation both upstream and downstream of the primary defect. Accordingly, determining the relative contribution of lineage-intrinsic versus compensatory homoeostatic processes throughout the continuum of lymphoid system development, selection, and maintenance are critical first steps towards understanding age-associated alterations in the immune system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael P Cancro
- University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
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40
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Verkoczy LK, Mårtensson AS, Nemazee D. The scope of receptor editing and its association with autoimmunity. Curr Opin Immunol 2005; 16:808-14. [PMID: 15511677 DOI: 10.1016/j.coi.2004.09.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Random assembly of antibody variable (V), diversity (D) and joining (J) gene segments creates a vast repertoire of antigen receptors, including autoreactive ones. Three ways that are known to reduce autoreactivity in the B-cell compartment include clonal deletion, functional inactivation and receptor editing, a mechanism involving a change in antigen receptor specificity through continued V(D)J recombination. New data suggest that editing can efficiently eliminate autoreactivity, yet, in an autoimmune context, secondary antibody gene rearrangements might also contribute to autoimmunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laurent K Verkoczy
- Department of Immunology, The Scripps Research Institute, Mail Drop IMM-29, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, California 92037, USA
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41
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Abstract
Examples suggesting that all or part of the V(H) segment of a rearranged V(H)DJ(H) may be replaced by all or part of another V(H) have been appearing since the 1980s. Evidence has been presented of two rather different types of replacement. One of these has gained acceptance and has now been clearly demonstrated to occur. The other, proposed more recently, has not yet gained general acceptance because the same effect can be produced by polymerase chain reaction artefact. We review both types of replacement including a critical examination of evidence for the latter. The first type involves RAG proteins and recombination signal sequences (RSS) and occurs in immature B cells. The second was also thought to be brought about by RAG proteins and RSS. However, it has been reported in hypermutating cells which are not thought to express RAG proteins but in which activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID) has recently been shown to initiate homologous recombination. Re-examination of the published sequences reveals AID target sites in V(H)-V(H) junction regions and examples that resemble gene conversion.
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Affiliation(s)
- John M Darlow
- Department of Immunology, Division of Immunology, Infection and Inflammation, University of Glasgow, Western Infirmary, Glasgow, UK.
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42
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Abstract
First observed in mouse pre-B-cell lines and then in knock-in mice carrying self-reactive IgH transgenes, VH replacement has now been shown to contribute to the primary B-cell repertoire in humans. Through recombination-activating gene (RAG)-mediated recombination between a cryptic recombination signal sequence (RSS) present in almost all VH genes and the flanking 23 base pair RSS of an upstream VH gene, VH replacement renews the entire VH-coding region, while leaving behind a short stretch of nucleotides as a VH replacement footprint. In addition to extending the CDR3 region, the VH replacement footprints preferentially contribute charged amino acids. VH replacement rearrangement in immature B cells may either eliminate a self-reactive B-cell receptor or contribute to the generation of self-reactive antibodies. VH replacement may also rescue non-productive or dysfunctional VHDJH rearrangement in pro-B and pre-B cells. Conversely, VH replacement of a productive immunoglobulin H gene may generate non-productive VH replacement to disrupt or temporarily reverse the B-cell differentiation process. VH replacement can thus play a complex role in the generation of the primary B-cell repertoire.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhixin Zhang
- Division of Developmental and Clinical Immunology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294-3300, USA
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43
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Kolar GR, Capra JD. Immunoglobulin heavy-chain receptor editing is observed in the NOD/SCID model of human B-cell development. Scand J Immunol 2004; 60:108-11. [PMID: 15238079 DOI: 10.1111/j.0300-9475.2004.01467.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Receptor editing and receptor revision are the two mechanisms of antibody diversity that result in either complete V-gene replacement or the formation of hybrid V genes. We do not yet understand how this process unfolds, because they are rare and difficult to study in vivo. In this study, we describe a family of VH4-34:VH4-61 hybrids isolated from a human B-cell chimeric non-obese diabetic/severe combined immunodeficient mouse. The observation of hybrid immunoglobulin sequences in human B cells that developed in this model system makes it useful for the study of this mechanism of diversification and tolerance.
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Affiliation(s)
- G R Kolar
- Program in Molecular Immunogenetics, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, 825 NE 13th Street, Oklahoma City, OK 73003, USA
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44
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Abstract
Autoreactive antibodies are etiologic agents in a number of autoimmune diseases. Like all other antibodies these antibodies are produced in developing B cells by V(D)J recombination in the bone marrow. Three mechanisms regulate autoreactive B cells: deletion, receptor editing, and anergy. Here we review the prevalence of autoantibodies in the initial antibody repertoire, their regulation by receptor editing, and the role of the recombinase proteins (RAG1 and RAG2) in this process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mila Jankovic
- Laboratory of Molecular Immunology, The Rockefeller University, New York, New York 10021, USA.
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45
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Mao C, Jiang L, Melo-Jorge M, Puthenveetil M, Zhang X, Carroll MC, Imanishi-Kari T. T cell-independent somatic hypermutation in murine B cells with an immature phenotype. Immunity 2004; 20:133-44. [PMID: 14975236 DOI: 10.1016/s1074-7613(04)00019-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2003] [Revised: 12/15/2003] [Accepted: 12/17/2003] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Somatic hypermutation contributes to the generation of antibody diversity and is strongly associated with the maturation of antigen-specific immune responses. We asked whether somatic hypermutation also plays a role in the generation of the murine immunoglobulin repertoire during B cell development. To facilitate identification of somatic mutations, we examined mouse systems in which only antibodies expressing lambda1, lambda2, and lambdax light chains can be generated. Somatic mutations were found in cells, which, by surface markers, RAG expression, and rapid turnover, had the phenotype of immature B cells. In addition, expression of AID was detected in these cells. The mutations were limited to V regions and were localized in known hotspots. Mutation frequency was not diminished in the absence of T cells. Our results support the idea that somatic hypermutation can occur in murine immature B cells and may represent a mechanism for enlarging the V gene repertoire.
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Affiliation(s)
- Changchuin Mao
- Department of Pathology and Program in Immunology, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02111, USA
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46
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Lenze D, Greiner A, Knörr C, Anagnostopoulos I, Stein H, Hummel M. Receptor revision of immunoglobulin heavy chain genes in human MALT lymphomas. Mol Pathol 2004; 56:249-55. [PMID: 14514917 PMCID: PMC1187334 DOI: 10.1136/mp.56.5.249] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND/AIMS Rearrangement of immunoglobulin gene segments, leading to B cells with functional receptors, is thought to be largely restricted to developing immature B cells in bone marrow. However, accumulating evidence suggests that mature B cells occasionally modify their antigen specificity by VH segment replacements during the germinal centre reaction to enhance antigen affinity, or to overcome self reactive antigen receptors. Although malignant B cells maintain the features of their normal counterparts in most instances, to date, such replacements have not been described for human B cell lymphomas. METHODS Rearranged immunoglobulin heavy chain genes from two extranodal marginal zone B cell lymphomas were amplified, cloned, and sequenced. Sequences with identical CDR3 regions were selected and aligned to each other and public databases. RESULTS VH replacements were seen in two extranodal marginal zone B cell lymphomas. In line with the hypothesis that in mature B cells these replacements are associated with active somatic hypermutation, in addition to VH replacement, different mutation patterns were seen in the revised VH portions. In the remaining common 3'-VH regions, these mutations could be used to establish a phylogenetic relation between the sequences, rendering the possibility of artefactual chimaeric polymerase chain reaction products very unlikely. CONCLUSIONS These results support the view that VH replacements are a further mechanism for reshaping antigen affinity and specificity, and indicate that these receptor modifications are not restricted to normal and reactive germinal centre B cells, but may also occur in close association with the development of malignant B cell lymphomas.
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Affiliation(s)
- D Lenze
- Institute of Pathology, University Medical Center Benjamin Franklin, The Free University of Berlin, 12200 Berlin, Germany
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47
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Wardemann H, Yurasov S, Schaefer A, Young JW, Meffre E, Nussenzweig MC. Predominant autoantibody production by early human B cell precursors. Science 2003; 301:1374-7. [PMID: 12920303 DOI: 10.1126/science.1086907] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1537] [Impact Index Per Article: 73.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
During B lymphocyte development, antibodies are assembled by random gene segment reassortment to produce a vast number of specificities. A potential disadvantage of this process is that some of the antibodies produced are self-reactive. We determined the prevalence of self-reactive antibody formation and its regulation in human B cells. A majority (55 to 75%) of all antibodies expressed by early immature B cells displayed self-reactivity, including polyreactive and anti-nuclear specificities. Most of these autoantibodies were removed from the population at two discrete checkpoints during B cell development. Inefficient checkpoint regulation would lead to substantial increases in circulating autoantibodies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hedda Wardemann
- Laboratory of Molecular Immunology, Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10021, USA
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48
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Abeysinghe SS, Chuzhanova N, Krawczak M, Ball EV, Cooper DN. Translocation and gross deletion breakpoints in human inherited disease and cancer I: Nucleotide composition and recombination-associated motifs. Hum Mutat 2003; 22:229-44. [PMID: 12938088 DOI: 10.1002/humu.10254] [Citation(s) in RCA: 187] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Translocations and gross deletions are important causes of both cancer and inherited disease. Such gene rearrangements are nonrandomly distributed in the human genome as a consequence of selection for growth advantage and/or the inherent potential of some DNA sequences to be frequently involved in breakage and recombination. Using the Gross Rearrangement Breakpoint Database [GRaBD; www.uwcm.ac.uk/uwcm/mg/grabd/grabd.html] (containing 397 germ-line and somatic DNA breakpoint junction sequences derived from 219 different rearrangements underlying human inherited disease and cancer), we have analyzed the sequence context of translocation and deletion breakpoints in a search for general characteristics that might have rendered these sequences prone to rearrangement. The oligonucleotide composition of breakpoint junctions and a set of reference sequences, matched for length and genomic location, were compared with respect to their nucleotide composition. Deletion breakpoints were found to be AT-rich whereas by comparison, translocation breakpoints were GC-rich. Alternating purine-pyrimidine sequences were found to be significantly over-represented in the vicinity of deletion breakpoints while polypyrimidine tracts were over-represented at translocation breakpoints. A number of recombination-associated motifs were found to be over-represented at translocation breakpoints (including DNA polymerase pause sites/frameshift hotspots, immunoglobulin heavy chain class switch sites, heptamer/nonamer V(D)J recombination signal sequences, translin binding sites, and the chi element) but, with the exception of the translin-binding site and immunoglobulin heavy chain class switch sites, none of these motifs were over-represented at deletion breakpoints. Alu sequences were found to span both breakpoints in seven cases of gross deletion that may thus be inferred to have arisen by homologous recombination. Our results are therefore consistent with a role for homologous unequal recombination in deletion mutagenesis and a role for nonhomologous recombination in the generation of translocations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shaun S Abeysinghe
- Institute of Medical Genetics, University of Wales College of Medicine, Cardiff, UK
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Miura Y, Chu CC, Dines DM, Asnis SE, Furie RA, Chiorazzi N. Diversification of the Ig Variable Region Gene Repertoire of Synovial B Lymphocytes by Nucleotide Insertion and Deletion. Mol Med 2003. [DOI: 10.1007/bf03402181] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
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Zhang Z, Zemlin M, Wang YH, Munfus D, Huye LE, Findley HW, Bridges SL, Roth DB, Burrows PD, Cooper MD. Contribution of Vh gene replacement to the primary B cell repertoire. Immunity 2003; 19:21-31. [PMID: 12871636 DOI: 10.1016/s1074-7613(03)00170-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 86] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
V(H) replacement has been proposed as one way to modify unwanted antibody specificities, but analysis of this mechanism has been limited without a dynamic cellular model. We describe a human cell line that spontaneously undergoes serial V(H) gene replacement mediated by cryptic recombination signal sequences (cRSS) located near the 3' end of V(H) genes. Recombination-activating gene products, RAG-1 and RAG-2, bind and cleave the cRSS to generate DNA deletion circles during the V(H) replacement process. A V(H) replacement contribution to normal repertoire development is revealed by the identification of V(H) replacement "footprints" in IgH sequences and double-stranded DNA breaks at V(H) cRSS sites in immature B cells. Surprisingly, the residual 3' sequences of replaced V(H) genes contribute charged amino acids to the CDR3 region, a hallmark of autoreactive antibodies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhixin Zhang
- Division of Developmental and Clinical Immunology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
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