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Luo Y, Lu J, Lei Z, Zhu H, Rao D, Wang T, Fu C, Zhang Z, Xia L, Huang W. Lysine methylation modifications in tumor immunomodulation and immunotherapy: regulatory mechanisms and perspectives. Biomark Res 2024; 12:74. [PMID: 39080807 PMCID: PMC11289998 DOI: 10.1186/s40364-024-00621-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2024] [Accepted: 07/17/2024] [Indexed: 08/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Lysine methylation is a crucial post-translational modification (PTM) that significantly impacts gene expression regulation. This modification not only influences cancer development directly but also has significant implications for the immune system. Lysine methylation modulates immune cell functions and shapes the anti-tumor immune response, highlighting its dual role in both tumor progression and immune regulation. In this review, we provide a comprehensive overview of the intrinsic role of lysine methylation in the activation and function of immune cells, detailing how these modifications affect cellular processes and signaling pathways. We delve into the mechanisms by which lysine methylation contributes to tumor immune evasion, allowing cancer cells to escape immune surveillance and thrive. Furthermore, we discuss the therapeutic potential of targeting lysine methylation in cancer immunotherapy. Emerging strategies, such as immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) and chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy, are being explored for their efficacy in modulating lysine methylation to enhance anti-tumor immune responses. By targeting these modifications, we can potentially improve the effectiveness of existing treatments and develop novel therapeutic approaches to combat cancer more effectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yiming Luo
- Hepatic Surgery Centre, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Hubei Key Laboratory of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Diseases, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, Hubei, China
| | - Junli Lu
- Hepatic Surgery Centre, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Hubei Key Laboratory of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Diseases, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, Hubei, China
| | - Zhen Lei
- Hepatic Surgery Centre, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Hubei Key Laboratory of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Diseases, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, Hubei, China
| | - He Zhu
- Hepatic Surgery Centre, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Hubei Key Laboratory of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Diseases, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, Hubei, China
| | - Dean Rao
- Hepatic Surgery Centre, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Hubei Key Laboratory of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Diseases, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, Hubei, China
| | - Tiantian Wang
- Hepatic Surgery Centre, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Hubei Key Laboratory of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Diseases, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, Hubei, China
| | - Chenan Fu
- Hepatic Surgery Centre, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Hubei Key Laboratory of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Diseases, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, Hubei, China
| | - Zhiwei Zhang
- Hepatic Surgery Centre, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Hubei Key Laboratory of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Diseases, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, Hubei, China
- Clinical Medicine Research Center for Hepatic Surgery of Hubei Province, Key Laboratory of Organ Transplantation, Ministry of Education and Ministry of Public Health, Wuhan, 430030, Hubei, China
| | - Limin Xia
- Department of Gastroenterology, Institute of Liver and Gastrointestinal Diseases, Hubei Key Laboratory of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Diseases, Tongji Hospital of Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, Hubei, China.
| | - Wenjie Huang
- Hepatic Surgery Centre, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Hubei Key Laboratory of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Diseases, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, Hubei, China.
- Clinical Medicine Research Center for Hepatic Surgery of Hubei Province, Key Laboratory of Organ Transplantation, Ministry of Education and Ministry of Public Health, Wuhan, 430030, Hubei, China.
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Qiu X, Liang G, Zhou W, Sen R, Atchison ML. Multiple lineage-specific epigenetic landscapes at the antigen receptor loci. AGING RESEARCH (HONG KONG, CHINA) 2023; 1:9340010. [PMID: 38770228 PMCID: PMC11103674 DOI: 10.26599/agr.2023.9340010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/22/2024]
Abstract
Antigen receptors (AgRs) expressed on B and T cells provide the adaptive immune system with ability to detect numerous foreign antigens. Epigenetic features of B cell receptor (BCR) and T cell receptor (TCR) genes were previously studied in lymphocytes, but little is known about their epigenetic features in other cells. Here, we explored histone modifications and transcription markers at the BCR and TCR loci in lymphocytes (pro-B, DP T cells, and mature CD4+ T cells), compared to embryonic stem (ES) cells and neurons. In B cells, the BCR loci exhibited active histone modifications and transcriptional markers indicative of active loci. Similar results were observed at the TCR loci in T cells. All loci were largely inactive in neurons. Surprisingly, in ES cells all AgR loci displayed a high degree of active histone modifications and markers of active transcription. Locations of these active histone modifications in ES cells were largely distinct from those in pro-B cells, and co-localized at numerous binding locations for transcription factors Oct4, Sox2, and Nanog. ES and pro-B cells also showed distinct binding patterns for the ubiquitous transcription factor YY1 and chromatin remodeler Brg1. On the contrary, there were many overlapping CCCTC-binding factor (CTCF) binding patterns when comparing ES cells, pro-B cells, and neurons. Our study identifies epigenetic features in ES cells and lymphocytes that may be related to ES cell pluripotency and lymphocyte tissue-specific activation at the AgR loci.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiang Qiu
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Immunology, National Institute on Aging, Baltimore, Maryland 21224, USA
| | - Guanxiang Liang
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA
| | - Weiqiang Zhou
- Department of Biostatistics, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, USA
| | - Ranjan Sen
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Immunology, National Institute on Aging, Baltimore, Maryland 21224, USA
| | - Michael L. Atchison
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA
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Kenter AL, Priyadarshi S, Drake EB. Locus architecture and RAG scanning determine antibody diversity. Trends Immunol 2023; 44:119-128. [PMID: 36706738 PMCID: PMC10128066 DOI: 10.1016/j.it.2022.12.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2022] [Revised: 12/07/2022] [Accepted: 12/08/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Diverse mammalian antibody repertoires are produced via distant genomic contacts involving immunoglobulin Igh variable (V), diversity (D), and joining (J) gene segments and result in V(D)J recombination. How such interactions determine V gene usage remains unclear. The recombination-activating gene (RAG) chromatin scanning model posits that RAG recombinase bound to the recombination center (RC) linearly tracks along chromatin by means of cohesin-mediated loop extrusion; a proposition supported by cohesin depletion studies. A mechanistic role for chromatin loop extrusion has also been implicated for Igh locus contraction. In this opinion, we provide perspective on how loop extrusion interfaces with the 3D conformation of the Igh locus and newly identified enhancers that regionally regulate VH gene usage during V(D)J recombination, shaping the preselected repertoire.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy L Kenter
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Illinois College of Medicine, Chicago, IL 60612-7344, USA.
| | - Saurabh Priyadarshi
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Illinois College of Medicine, Chicago, IL 60612-7344, USA
| | - Ellen B Drake
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Illinois College of Medicine, Chicago, IL 60612-7344, USA
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Karbalivand M, Almada LL, Ansell SM, Fernandez-Zapico ME, Elsawa SF. MLL1 inhibition reduces IgM levels in Waldenström macroglobulinemia. Leuk Res 2022; 116:106841. [DOI: 10.1016/j.leukres.2022.106841] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2022] [Revised: 04/06/2022] [Accepted: 04/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
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5
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Hagman JR, Arends T, Laborda C, Knapp JR, Harmacek L, O'Connor BP. Chromodomain helicase DNA-binding 4 (CHD4) regulates early B cell identity and V(D)J recombination. Immunol Rev 2021; 305:29-42. [PMID: 34927255 DOI: 10.1111/imr.13054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2021] [Revised: 11/22/2021] [Accepted: 12/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
B lymphocytes develop from uncommitted precursors into immunoglobulin (antibody)-producing B cells, a major arm of adaptive immunity. Progression of early progenitors to antibody-expressing cells in the bone marrow is orchestrated by the temporal regulation of different gene programs at discrete developmental stages. A major question concerns how B cells control the accessibility of these genes to transcription factors. Research has implicated nucleosome remodeling ATPases as mediators of chromatin accessibility. Here, we describe studies of chromodomain helicase DNA-binding 4 (CHD4; also known as Mi-2β) in early B cell development. CHD4 comprises multiple domains that function in nucleosome mobilization and histone binding. CHD4 is a key component of Nucleosome Remodeling and Deacetylase, or NuRD (Mi-2) complexes, which assemble with other proteins that mediate transcriptional repression. We review data demonstrating that CHD4 is necessary for B lineage identity: early B lineage progression, proliferation in response to interleukin-7, responses to DNA damage, and cell survival in vivo. CHD4-NuRD is also required for the Ig heavy-chain repertoire by promoting utilization of distal variable (VH ) gene segments in V(D)J recombination. In conclusion, the regulation of chromatin accessibility by CHD4 is essential for production of antibodies by B cells, which in turn mediate humoral immune responses to pathogens and disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- James R Hagman
- Department of Immunology and Genomic Medicine, National Jewish Health, Denver, Colorado, USA.,Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado, USA.,Program in Molecular Biology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado, USA
| | - Tessa Arends
- Program in Molecular Biology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado, USA
| | - Curtis Laborda
- Center for Genes, Environment, and Health, National Jewish Health, Denver, Colorado, USA
| | - Jennifer R Knapp
- Center for Genes, Environment, and Health, National Jewish Health, Denver, Colorado, USA
| | - Laura Harmacek
- Center for Genes, Environment, and Health, National Jewish Health, Denver, Colorado, USA
| | - Brian P O'Connor
- Department of Immunology and Genomic Medicine, National Jewish Health, Denver, Colorado, USA.,Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado, USA.,Center for Genes, Environment, and Health, National Jewish Health, Denver, Colorado, USA
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6
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Kenter AL, Watson CT, Spille JH. Igh Locus Polymorphism May Dictate Topological Chromatin Conformation and V Gene Usage in the Ig Repertoire. Front Immunol 2021; 12:682589. [PMID: 34084176 PMCID: PMC8167033 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.682589] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2021] [Accepted: 04/26/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Vast repertoires of unique antigen receptors are created in developing B and T lymphocytes. The antigen receptor loci contain many variable (V), diversity (D) and joining (J) gene segments that are arrayed across very large genomic expanses and are joined to form variable-region exons of expressed immunoglobulins and T cell receptors. This process creates the potential for an organism to respond to large numbers of different pathogens. Here, we consider the possibility that genetic polymorphisms with alterations in a vast array of regulatory elements in the immunoglobulin heavy chain (IgH) locus lead to changes in locus topology and impact immune-repertoire formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy L. Kenter
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Illinois College of Medicine, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Corey T. Watson
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, KY, United States
| | - Jan-Hendrik Spille
- Department of Physics, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
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7
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Abstract
Vast repertoires of unique antigen receptors are created in developing lymphocytes. The antigen receptor loci contain many variable (V), diversity (D), and joining (J) gene segments that are arrayed across very large genomic expanses and are joined to form variable-region exons. This process creates the potential for an organism to respond to large numbers of different pathogens. Here, we consider the underlying molecular mechanisms that favor some V genes for recombination prior to selection of the final antigen receptor repertoire. We discuss chromatin structures that form in antigen receptor loci to permit spatial proximity among the V, D, and J gene segments and how these relate to the generation of antigen receptor diversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy L Kenter
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Illinois College of Medicine, Chicago, IL, 60612-7344, USA
| | - Ann J Feeney
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA
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8
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Boller S, Li R, Grosschedl R. Defining B Cell Chromatin: Lessons from EBF1. Trends Genet 2018; 34:257-269. [PMID: 29336845 DOI: 10.1016/j.tig.2017.12.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2017] [Revised: 12/14/2017] [Accepted: 12/19/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Hematopoiesis is regulated by signals from the microenvironment, transcription factor networks, and changes of the epigenetic landscape. Transcription factors interact with and shape chromatin to allow for lineage- and cell type-specific changes in gene expression. During B lymphopoiesis, epigenetic regulation is observed in multilineage progenitors in which a specific chromatin context is established, at the onset of the B cell differentiation when early B cell factor 1 (EBF1) induces lineage-specific changes in chromatin, during V(D)J recombination and after antigen-driven activation of B cells and terminal differentiation. In this review, we discuss the epigenetic changes underlying B cell differentiation, focusing on the role of transcription factor EBF1 in B cell lineage priming.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sören Boller
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Immunology, Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics, 79108 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Rui Li
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Immunology, Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics, 79108 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Rudolf Grosschedl
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Immunology, Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics, 79108 Freiburg, Germany.
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9
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Toth Z, Smindak RJ, Papp B. Inhibition of the lytic cycle of Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus by cohesin factors following de novo infection. Virology 2017; 512:25-33. [PMID: 28898712 PMCID: PMC5653454 DOI: 10.1016/j.virol.2017.09.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2017] [Revised: 08/25/2017] [Accepted: 09/01/2017] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Establishment of Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) latency following infection is a multistep process, during which polycomb proteins are recruited onto the KSHV genome, which is crucial for the genome-wide repression of lytic genes during latency. Strikingly, only a subset of lytic genes are expressed transiently in the early phase of infection prior to the binding of polycomb proteins onto the KSHV genome, which raises the question what restricts lytic gene expression in the first hours of infection. Here, we demonstrate that both CTCF and cohesin chromatin organizing factors are rapidly recruited to the viral genome prior to the binding of polycombs during de novo infection, but only cohesin is required for the genome-wide inhibition of lytic genes. We propose that cohesin is required for the establishment of KSHV latency by initiating the repression of lytic genes following infection, which is an essential step in persistent infection of humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zsolt Toth
- Department of Oral Biology, University of Florida College of Dentistry, 1395 Center Drive, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA; UF Genetics Institute, USA; UF Health Cancer Center, USA.
| | - Richard J Smindak
- Department of Oral Biology, University of Florida College of Dentistry, 1395 Center Drive, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
| | - Bernadett Papp
- Department of Oral Biology, University of Florida College of Dentistry, 1395 Center Drive, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA; UF Genetics Institute, USA; UF Health Cancer Center, USA
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10
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Li S, Liu W, Li Y, Zhao S, Liu C, Hu M, Yue W, Liu Y, Wang Y, Yang R, Xiang R, Liu F. Contribution of secondary Igkappa rearrangement to primary immunoglobulin repertoire diversification. Mol Immunol 2016; 78:193-206. [PMID: 27665270 DOI: 10.1016/j.molimm.2016.09.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2016] [Revised: 09/01/2016] [Accepted: 09/06/2016] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Abs reactive to DNA and DNA/histone complexes are a distinguished characteristic of primary immunoglobulin repertoires in autoimmune B6.MRL-Faslpr and MRL/MpJ-Faslpr mice. These mice are defective in Fas receptor, which is critical for the apoptosis of autoreactive B cells by an extrinsic pathway. In the present study, we explored the possibility that bone marrow small pre-B and immature B cells from adult B6.MRL-Faslpr mice and MRL/MpJ-Faslpr mice respectively, which contain autoreactive B-cell antigen receptors (BCR) and manifest autoimmune syndromes, exhibit enhanced receptor editing patterns. Indeed, FASlpr pre B and immature B cells were shown to possess more ongoing replacements of non-productive (nP) than productive (P) primary VκJκ rearrangements. Significantly, the P vs nP ratios of these replaced primary rearrangements were 1:2, thus indicating that κ light-chain production appears not to inhibit secondary rearrangements. In addition, we identified multiple atypical rearrangements, such as Vκ cRS (cryptic recombination signals) cleavages. These results suggest that the onset of light chain secondary rearrangements persists similarly as a non-selected mode and independent of BCR autoreactivity during certain developmental windows of bone marrow B cells in lupus-prone mice and control, and leads us to propose the function of secondary, de novo Igκ rearrangements to increase BCR diversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shufang Li
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China
| | - Wei Liu
- Tianjin Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau, Tianjin 300308, China
| | - Yinghui Li
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China
| | - Shaorong Zhao
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China
| | - Can Liu
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China
| | - Mengyun Hu
- Collage of Life Science, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, China
| | - Wei Yue
- Department of Neurology, Huanhu Hospital, Tianjin 300060, China
| | - Yanhua Liu
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China
| | - Yue Wang
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China
| | - Rongcun Yang
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China
| | - Rong Xiang
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China.
| | - Feifei Liu
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China.
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11
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Dunn-Walters DK. The ageing human B cell repertoire: a failure of selection? Clin Exp Immunol 2015; 183:50-6. [PMID: 26332693 DOI: 10.1111/cei.12700] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/28/2015] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
B cells undergo a number of different developmental stages, from initial formation of their B cell receptor (BCR) genes to differentiation into antibody-secreting plasma cells. Because the BCR is vital in these differentiation steps, autoreactive and exogenous antigen binding to the BCR exert critical selection pressures to shape the B cell repertoire. Older people are more prone to infectious disease, less able to respond well to vaccination and more likely to have autoreactive antibodies. Here we review evidence of changes in B cell repertoires in older people, which may be a reflection of age-related changes in B cell selection processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- D K Dunn-Walters
- Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine, King's College London, London, UK
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12
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Tusi BK, Deng C, Salz T, Zeumer L, Li Y, So CWE, Morel LM, Qiu Y, Huang S. Setd1a regulates progenitor B-cell-to-precursor B-cell development through histone H3 lysine 4 trimethylation and Ig heavy-chain rearrangement. FASEB J 2015; 29:1505-15. [PMID: 25550471 PMCID: PMC4396605 DOI: 10.1096/fj.14-263061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2014] [Accepted: 12/08/2014] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
SETD1A is a member of trithorax-related histone methyltransferases that methylate lysine 4 at histone H3 (H3K4). We showed previously that Setd1a is required for mesoderm specification and hematopoietic lineage differentiation in vitro. However, it remains unknown whether or not Setd1a controls specific hematopoietic lineage commitment and differentiation during animal development. Here, we reported that homozygous Setd1a knockout (KO) mice are embryonic lethal. Loss of the Setd1a gene in the hematopoietic compartment resulted in a blockage of the progenitor B-cell-to-precursor B-cell development in bone marrow (BM) and B-cell maturation in spleen. The Setd1a-cKO (conditional knockout) mice exhibited an enlarged spleen with disrupted spleen architecture and leukocytopenia. Mechanistically, Setd1a deficiency in BM reduced the levels of H3K4me3 at critical B-cell gene loci, including Pax5 and Rag1/2, which are critical for the IgH (Ig heavy-chain) locus contractions and rearrangement. Subsequently, the differential long-range looped interactions of the enhancer Eμ with proximal 5' DH region and 3' regulatory regions as well as with Pax5-activated intergenic repeat elements and 5' distal VH genes were compromised by the Setd1a-cKO. Together, our findings revealed a critical role of Setd1a and its mediated epigenetic modifications in regulating the IgH rearrangement and B-cell development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Betsabeh Khoramian Tusi
- Departments of *Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Pathology, Immunology & Laboratory Medicine, and Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, Florida, USA; Institute of Hematology, Jinan University Medical College, ShiPai, Guangzhou, China; and Department of Haematological Medicine, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Changwang Deng
- Departments of *Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Pathology, Immunology & Laboratory Medicine, and Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, Florida, USA; Institute of Hematology, Jinan University Medical College, ShiPai, Guangzhou, China; and Department of Haematological Medicine, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Tal Salz
- Departments of *Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Pathology, Immunology & Laboratory Medicine, and Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, Florida, USA; Institute of Hematology, Jinan University Medical College, ShiPai, Guangzhou, China; and Department of Haematological Medicine, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Leilani Zeumer
- Departments of *Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Pathology, Immunology & Laboratory Medicine, and Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, Florida, USA; Institute of Hematology, Jinan University Medical College, ShiPai, Guangzhou, China; and Department of Haematological Medicine, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Yangqiu Li
- Departments of *Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Pathology, Immunology & Laboratory Medicine, and Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, Florida, USA; Institute of Hematology, Jinan University Medical College, ShiPai, Guangzhou, China; and Department of Haematological Medicine, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Chi Wai Eric So
- Departments of *Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Pathology, Immunology & Laboratory Medicine, and Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, Florida, USA; Institute of Hematology, Jinan University Medical College, ShiPai, Guangzhou, China; and Department of Haematological Medicine, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Laurence M Morel
- Departments of *Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Pathology, Immunology & Laboratory Medicine, and Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, Florida, USA; Institute of Hematology, Jinan University Medical College, ShiPai, Guangzhou, China; and Department of Haematological Medicine, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Yi Qiu
- Departments of *Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Pathology, Immunology & Laboratory Medicine, and Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, Florida, USA; Institute of Hematology, Jinan University Medical College, ShiPai, Guangzhou, China; and Department of Haematological Medicine, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Suming Huang
- Departments of *Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Pathology, Immunology & Laboratory Medicine, and Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, Florida, USA; Institute of Hematology, Jinan University Medical College, ShiPai, Guangzhou, China; and Department of Haematological Medicine, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
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CTCF-binding elements 1 and 2 in the Igh intergenic control region cooperatively regulate V(D)J recombination. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2015; 112:1815-20. [PMID: 25624508 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1424936112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Ig heavy chain (IgH) variable region exons are assembled from V, D, and J gene segments during early B-lymphocyte differentiation. A several megabase region at the "distal" end of the mouse IgH locus (Igh) contains hundreds of V(H)s, separated by an intergenic region from Igh Ds, J(H)s, and constant region exons. Diverse primary Igh repertoires are generated by joining Vs, Ds, and Js in different combinations, with a given B cell productively assembling only one combination. The intergenic control region 1 (IGCR1) in the V(H)-to-D intergenic region regulates Igh V(D)J recombination in the contexts of developmental order, lineage specificity, and feedback from productive rearrangements. IGCR1 also diversifies IgH repertoires by balancing proximal and distal V(H) use. IGCR1 functions in all these regulatory contexts by suppressing predominant rearrangement of D-proximal V(H)s. Such IGCR1 functions were neutralized by simultaneous mutation of two CCCTC-binding factor (CTCF)-binding elements (CBE1 and CBE2) within it. However, it was unknown whether only one CBE mediates IGCR1 functions or whether both function in this context. To address these questions, we generated mice in which either IGCR1 CBE1 or CBE2 was replaced with scrambled sequences that do not bind CTCF. We found that inactivation of CBE1 or CBE2 individually led to only partial impairment of various IGCR1 functions relative to the far greater effects of inactivating both binding elements simultaneously, demonstrating that they function cooperatively to achieve full IGCR1 regulatory activity. Based on these and other findings, we propose an orientation-specific looping model for synergistic CBE1 and CBE2 functions.
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14
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Majumder K, Koues OI, Chan EAW, Kyle KE, Horowitz JE, Yang-Iott K, Bassing CH, Taniuchi I, Krangel MS, Oltz EM. Lineage-specific compaction of Tcrb requires a chromatin barrier to protect the function of a long-range tethering element. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2014; 212:107-20. [PMID: 25512470 PMCID: PMC4291525 DOI: 10.1084/jem.20141479] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Majumder et al. explore the large-scale looping architecture of the Tcrb locus early in murine thymocyte development during the generation of TCRβ diversity. They dissect novel DNA regulatory elements controlling V to D-J recombination and identify within an insulator region a distally located CTCF-containing element functioning as a tether, which facilitates looping of distal Vβ to Dβ-Jβ regions and promotes locus contraction. A second CTCF-containing element, proximal to the Dβ-Jβ region, acts as a boundary, preventing the spread of active chromatin associated with Dβ-Jβ regions. Removal of the proximal boundary element impairs the locus contraction capabilities of the tethering element. Gene regulation relies on dynamic changes in three-dimensional chromatin conformation, which are shaped by composite regulatory and architectural elements. However, mechanisms that govern such conformational switches within chromosomal domains remain unknown. We identify a novel mechanism by which cis-elements promote long-range interactions, inducing conformational changes critical for diversification of the TCRβ antigen receptor locus (Tcrb). Association between distal Vβ gene segments and the highly expressed DβJβ clusters, termed the recombination center (RC), is independent of enhancer function and recruitment of V(D)J recombinase. Instead, we find that tissue-specific folding of Tcrb relies on two distinct architectural elements located upstream of the RC. The first, a CTCF-containing element, directly tethers distal portions of the Vβ array to the RC. The second element is a chromatin barrier that protects the tether from hyperactive RC chromatin. When the second element is removed, active RC chromatin spreads upstream, forcing the tether to serve as a new barrier. Acquisition of barrier function by the CTCF element disrupts contacts between distal Vβ gene segments and significantly alters Tcrb repertoires. Our findings reveal a separation of function for RC-flanking regions, in which anchors for long-range recombination must be cordoned off from hyperactive RC landscapes by chromatin barriers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kinjal Majumder
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63110
| | - Olivia I Koues
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63110
| | - Elizabeth A W Chan
- Department of Immunology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710
| | - Katherine E Kyle
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63110
| | - Julie E Horowitz
- Division of Cancer Pathobiology, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Center for Childhood Cancer Research, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104
| | - Katherine Yang-Iott
- Division of Cancer Pathobiology, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Center for Childhood Cancer Research, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104
| | - Craig H Bassing
- Division of Cancer Pathobiology, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Center for Childhood Cancer Research, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104
| | - Ichiro Taniuchi
- Laboratory for Transcriptional Regulation, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences, Yokohama, Kanagawa 230-0045, Japan
| | - Michael S Krangel
- Department of Immunology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710
| | - Eugene M Oltz
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63110
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15
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16
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Predeus AV, Gopalakrishnan S, Huang Y, Tang J, Feeney AJ, Oltz EM, Artyomov MN. Targeted chromatin profiling reveals novel enhancers in Ig H and Ig L chain Loci. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2013; 192:1064-70. [PMID: 24353267 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1302800] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
The assembly and expression of mouse Ag receptor genes are controlled by a collection of cis-acting regulatory elements, including transcriptional promoters and enhancers. Although many powerful enhancers have been identified for Ig (Ig) and TCR (Tcr) loci, it remained unclear whether additional regulatory elements remain undiscovered. In this study, we use chromatin profiling of pro-B cells to define 38 epigenetic states in mouse Ag receptor loci, each of which reflects a distinct regulatory potential. One of these chromatin states corresponds to known transcriptional enhancers and identifies a new set of candidate elements in all three Ig loci. Four of the candidates were subjected to functional assays, and all four exhibit enhancer activity in B but not in T lineage cells. The new regulatory elements identified by focused chromatin profiling most likely have important functions in the creation, refinement, and expression of Ig repertoires.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander V Predeus
- Department of Pathology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110
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17
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Kondilis-Mangum HD, Wade PA. Epigenetics and the adaptive immune response. Mol Aspects Med 2013; 34:813-25. [PMID: 22789989 PMCID: PMC3508324 DOI: 10.1016/j.mam.2012.06.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2012] [Accepted: 06/27/2012] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Cells of the adaptive immune response undergo dynamic epigenetic changes as they develop and respond to immune challenge. Plasticity is a necessary prerequisite for the chromosomal dynamics of lineage specification, development, and the immune effector function of the mature cell types. The alterations in DNA methylation and histone modification that characterize activation may be integral to the generation of immunologic memory, thereby providing an advantage on secondary exposure to pathogens. While the immune system benefits from the dynamic nature of the epigenome, such benefit comes at a cost - increased likelihood of disease-causing mutation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hrisavgi D Kondilis-Mangum
- Laboratory of Molecular Carcinogenesis, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA
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18
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Subrahmanyam R, Du H, Ivanova I, Chakraborty T, Ji Y, Zhang Y, Alt FW, Schatz DG, Sen R. Localized epigenetic changes induced by DH recombination restricts recombinase to DJH junctions. Nat Immunol 2012; 13:1205-12. [PMID: 23104096 PMCID: PMC3685187 DOI: 10.1038/ni.2447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2012] [Accepted: 09/07/2012] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Genes encoding immunoglobulin heavy chains (Igh) are assembled by rearrangement of variable (V(H)), diversity (D(H)) and joining (J(H)) gene segments. Three critical constraints govern V(H) recombination. These include timing (V(H) recombination follows D(H) recombination), precision (V(H) gene segments recombine only to DJ(H) junctions) and allele specificity (V(H) recombination is restricted to DJ(H)-recombined alleles). Here we provide a model for these universal features of V(H) recombination. Analyses of DJ(H)-recombined alleles showed that DJ(H) junctions were selectively epigenetically marked, became nuclease sensitive and bound RAG recombinase proteins, which thereby permitted D(H)-associated recombination signal sequences to initiate the second step of Igh gene assembly. We propose that V(H) recombination is precise, because these changes did not extend to germline D(H) segments located 5' of the DJ(H) junction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ramesh Subrahmanyam
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Immunology, National Institute on Aging, US National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
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19
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Powers SE, Mandal M, Matsuda S, Miletic AV, Cato MH, Tanaka A, Rickert RC, Koyasu S, Clark MR. Subnuclear cyclin D3 compartments and the coordinated regulation of proliferation and immunoglobulin variable gene repression. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2012; 209:2199-213. [PMID: 23109711 PMCID: PMC3501354 DOI: 10.1084/jem.20120800] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Distinct nuclear subsets of cyclin D3 differ in their subcompartmentalization, function, and regulation. Ubiquitously expressed D-type cyclins are required for hematopoiesis but are dispensable in other cell lineages. Furthermore, within different hematopoietic progenitor populations the D-type cyclins play nonredundant roles. The basis of this lineage and developmental specificity is unknown. In pro–B cells we demonstrate four distinct nuclear D-type cyclin compartments, including one cyclin D3 fraction associated with CDK4 and another phosphoinositide 3-kinase–regulated fraction not required for proliferation. A third fraction of cyclin D3 was associated with the nuclear matrix and repression of >200 genes including the variable (V) gene segments Igkv1-117, Iglv1, and Igh-VJ558. Consistent with different subnuclear compartments and functions, distinct domains of cyclin D3 mediated proliferation and Igk V gene segment repression. None of the cyclin D3 nuclear compartments overlapped with cyclin D2, which was distributed, unbound to CDK4, throughout the nucleus. Furthermore, compartmentalization of the cyclins appeared to be lineage restricted because in fibroblasts, cyclin D2 and cyclin D3 occupied a single nuclear compartment and neither bound CDK4 efficiently. These data suggest that subnuclear compartmentalization enables cyclin D3 to drive cell cycle progression and repress V gene accessibility, thereby ensuring coordination of proliferation with immunoglobulin recombination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah E Powers
- Department of Medicine, Section of Rheumatology and Knapp Center for Lupus and Immunology Research, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
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20
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Verma-Gaur J, Torkamani A, Schaffer L, Head SR, Schork NJ, Feeney AJ. Noncoding transcription within the Igh distal V(H) region at PAIR elements affects the 3D structure of the Igh locus in pro-B cells. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2012; 109:17004-9. [PMID: 23027941 PMCID: PMC3479473 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1208398109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Noncoding sense and antisense germ-line transcription within the Ig heavy chain locus precedes V(D)J recombination and has been proposed to be associated with Igh locus accessibility, although its precise role remains elusive. However, no global analysis of germ-line transcription throughout the Igh locus has been done. Therefore, we performed directional RNA-seq, demonstrating the locations and extent of both sense and antisense transcription throughout the Igh locus. Surprisingly, the majority of antisense transcripts are localized around two Pax5-activated intergenic repeat (PAIR) elements in the distal IghV region. Importantly, long-distance loops measured by chromosome conformation capture (3C) are observed between these two active PAIR promoters and Eμ, the start site of Iμ germ-line transcription, in a lineage- and stage-specific manner, even though this antisense transcription is Eμ-independent. YY1(-/-) pro-B cells are greatly impaired in distal V(H) gene rearrangement and Igh locus compaction, and we demonstrate that YY1 deficiency greatly reduces antisense transcription and PAIR-Eμ interactions. ChIP-seq shows high level YY1 binding only at Eμ, but low levels near some antisense promoters. PAIR-Eμ interactions are not disrupted by DRB, which blocks transcription elongation without disrupting transcription factories once they are established, but the looping is reduced after heat-shock treatment, which disrupts transcription factories. We propose that transcription-mediated interactions, most likely at transcription factories, initially compact the Igh locus, bringing distal V(H) genes close to the DJ(H) rearrangement which is adjacent to Eμ. Therefore, we hypothesize that one key role of noncoding germ-line transcription is to facilitate locus compaction, allowing distal V(H) genes to undergo efficient rearrangement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiyoti Verma-Gaur
- Department of Immunology and Microbial Science, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037
| | - Ali Torkamani
- Department of Molecular and Experimental Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, and The Scripps Translational Science Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037; and
| | - Lana Schaffer
- Next Generation Sequencing Core Facility, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037
| | - Steven R. Head
- Next Generation Sequencing Core Facility, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037
| | - Nicholas J. Schork
- Department of Molecular and Experimental Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, and The Scripps Translational Science Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037; and
| | - Ann J. Feeney
- Department of Immunology and Microbial Science, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037
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21
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Seitan VC, Krangel MS, Merkenschlager M. Cohesin, CTCF and lymphocyte antigen receptor locus rearrangement. Trends Immunol 2012; 33:153-9. [PMID: 22440186 PMCID: PMC3352889 DOI: 10.1016/j.it.2012.02.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2012] [Revised: 02/14/2012] [Accepted: 02/14/2012] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The somatic recombination of lymphocyte antigen receptor loci is integral to lymphocyte differentiation and adaptive immunity. Here we review the relation of this highly choreographed process with the zinc finger protein CTCF and with cohesin, a protein complex best known for its essential functions in post-replicative DNA repair and chromosome segregation during the cell cycle. At lymphocyte antigen receptor loci, CTCF and cohesin shape long-range interactions and contribute to V(D)J recombination by facilitating lineage- and developmental-stage-specific transcription and accessibility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vlad C Seitan
- Lymphocyte Development Group, MRC Clinical Sciences Centre, Imperial College London, Du Cane Road, London W12 0NN, UK
| | - Michael S Krangel
- Department of Immunology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham NC, USA
| | - Matthias Merkenschlager
- Lymphocyte Development Group, MRC Clinical Sciences Centre, Imperial College London, Du Cane Road, London W12 0NN, UK
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22
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Aoki-Ota M, Torkamani A, Ota T, Schork N, Nemazee D. Skewed primary Igκ repertoire and V-J joining in C57BL/6 mice: implications for recombination accessibility and receptor editing. JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY (BALTIMORE, MD. : 1950) 2012; 188:2305-15. [PMID: 22287713 PMCID: PMC3288532 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1103484] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Previous estimates of the diversity of the mouse Ab repertoire have been based on fragmentary data as a result of many technical limitations, in particular, the many samples necessary to provide adequate coverage. In this study, we used 5'-coding end amplification of Igκ mRNAs from bone marrow, splenic, and lymph node B cells of C57BL/6 mice combined with amplicon pyrosequencing to assess the functional and nonfunctional Vκ repertoire. To evaluate the potential effects of receptor editing, we also compared V/J associations and usage in bone marrows of mouse mutants under constitutive negative selection or an altered ability to undergo secondary recombination. To focus on preimmune B cells, our cell sorting strategy excluded memory B cells and plasma cells. Analysis of ~90 Mbp, representing >250,000 individual transcripts from 59 mice, revealed that 101 distinct functional Vκ genes are used but at frequencies ranging from ~0.001 to ~10%. Usage of seven Vκ genes made up >40% of the repertoire. A small class of transcripts from apparently nonfunctional Vκ genes was found, as were occasional transcripts from several apparently functional genes that carry aberrant recombination signals. Of 404 potential V-J combinations (101 Vκs × 4 Jκs), 398 (98.5%) were found at least once in our sample. For most Vκ transcripts, all Jκs were used, but V-J association biases were common. Usage patterns were remarkably stable in different selective conditions. Overall, the primary κ repertoire is highly skewed by preferred rearrangements, limiting Ab diversity, but potentially facilitating receptor editing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miyo Aoki-Ota
- Department of Immunology and Microbial Science, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California 92037
| | - Ali Torkamani
- Translational Sciences Institute, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California 92037
| | - Takayuki Ota
- Department of Immunology and Microbial Science, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California 92037
| | - Nicholas Schork
- Translational Sciences Institute, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California 92037
| | - David Nemazee
- Department of Immunology and Microbial Science, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California 92037
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23
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Highly diverse TCRα chain repertoire of pre-immune CD8⁺ T cells reveals new insights in gene recombination. EMBO J 2012; 31:1666-78. [PMID: 22373576 DOI: 10.1038/emboj.2012.48] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2011] [Accepted: 02/02/2012] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Although the T-cell receptor αδ (TCRαδ) locus harbours large libraries of variable (TRAV) and junctional (TRAJ) gene segments, according to previous studies the TCRα chain repertoire is of limited diversity due to restrictions imposed by sequential coordinate TRAV-TRAJ recombinations. By sequencing tens of millions of TCRα chain transcripts from naive mouse CD8(+) T cells, we observed a hugely diverse repertoire, comprising nearly all possible TRAV-TRAJ combinations. Our findings are not compatible with sequential coordinate gene recombination, but rather with a model in which contraction and DNA looping in the TCRαδ locus provide equal access to TRAV and TRAJ gene segments, similarly to that demonstrated for IgH gene recombination. Generation of the observed highly diverse TCRα chain repertoire necessitates deletion of failed attempts by thymic-positive selection and is essential for the formation of highly diverse TCRαβ repertoires, capable of providing good protective immunity.
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24
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Volpi SA, Verma-Gaur J, Hassan R, Ju Z, Roa S, Chatterjee S, Werling U, Hou H, Will B, Steidl U, Scharff M, Edelman W, Feeney AJ, Birshtein BK. Germline deletion of Igh 3' regulatory region elements hs 5, 6, 7 (hs5-7) affects B cell-specific regulation, rearrangement, and insulation of the Igh locus. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2012; 188:2556-66. [PMID: 22345664 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1102763] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Regulatory elements located within an ∼28-kb region 3' of the Igh gene cluster (3' regulatory region) are required for class switch recombination and for high levels of IgH expression in plasma cells. We previously defined novel DNase I hypersensitive sites (hs) 5, 6, 7 immediately downstream of this region. The hs 5-7 region (hs5-7) contains a high density of binding sites for CCCTC-binding factor (CTCF), a zinc finger protein associated with mammalian insulator activity, and is an anchor for interactions with CTCF sites flanking the D(H) region. To test the function of hs5-7, we generated mice with an 8-kb deletion encompassing all three hs elements. B cells from hs5-7 knockout (KO) (hs5-7KO) mice showed a modest increase in expression of the nearest downstream gene. In addition, Igh alleles in hs5-7KO mice were in a less contracted configuration compared with wild-type Igh alleles and showed a 2-fold increase in the usage of proximal V(H)7183 gene families. Hs5-7KO mice were essentially indistinguishable from wild-type mice in B cell development, allelic regulation, class switch recombination, and chromosomal looping. We conclude that hs5-7, a high-density CTCF-binding region at the 3' end of the Igh locus, impacts usage of V(H) regions as far as 500 kb away.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabrina A Volpi
- Department of Cell Biology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, USA
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25
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Feeney AJ, Verma-Gaur J. CTCF-cohesin complex: architect of chromatin structure regulates V(D)J rearrangement. Cell Res 2012; 22:280-2. [PMID: 22105486 PMCID: PMC3271585 DOI: 10.1038/cr.2011.188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Ann J Feeney
- The Scripps Research Institute, Department of Immunology and Microbial Science, IMM22, 10550 N. Torrey Pines Rd., La Jolla, CA 92037, USA.
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26
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Abstract
Chromatin insulators are DNA-protein complexes with broad functions in nuclear biology. Based on the ability of insulator proteins to interact with each other, it was originally found that insulators form loops that bring together distant regions of the genome. Data from genome-wide localization studies indicate that insulator proteins can be present in intergenic regions as well as at the 5', introns or 3' of genes, suggesting a variety of roles for insulator loops in chromosome biology. Recent results suggest that insulators mediate intra- and interchromosomal interactions to affect transcription, imprinting, and recombination. Cells have developed mechanisms to control insulator activity by recruiting specialized proteins or by covalent modification of core components. It is then possible that insulator-mediated interactions set up cell-specific blueprints of nuclear organization that may contribute to the establishment of different patterns of gene expression during cell differentiation and development. As a consequence, disruption of insulator activity could result in the development of cancer or other disease states.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingping Yang
- Department of Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
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27
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Del Blanco B, García V, García-Mariscal A, Hernández-Munain C. Control of V(D)J Recombination through Transcriptional Elongation and Changes in Locus Chromatin Structure and Nuclear Organization. GENETICS RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2011; 2011:970968. [PMID: 22567371 PMCID: PMC3335570 DOI: 10.4061/2011/970968] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2011] [Accepted: 07/29/2011] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
V(D)J recombination is the assembly of gene segments at the antigen receptor loci to
generate antigen receptor diversity in T and B lymphocytes. This process is regulated,
according to defined developmental programs, by the action of a single specific
recombinase complex formed by the recombination antigen gene (RAG-1/2) proteins
that are expressed in immature lymphocytes. V(D)J recombination is strictly controlled
by RAG-1/2 accessibility to specific recombination signal sequences in chromatin at
several levels: cellular lineage, temporal regulation, gene segment order, and allelic
exclusion. DNA cleavage by RAG-1/2 is regulated by the chromatin structure,
transcriptional elongation, and three-dimensional architecture and position of the
antigen receptor loci in the nucleus. Cis-elements specifically direct transcription and
V(D)J recombination at these loci through interactions with transacting factors that form
molecular machines that mediate a sequence of structural events. These events open
chromatin to activate transcriptional elongation and to permit the access of RAG-1/2 to
their recombination signal sequences to drive the juxtaposition of the V, D, and J
segments and the recombination reaction itself. This chapter summarizes the advances
in this area and the important role of the structure and position of antigen receptor loci
within the nucleus to control this process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beatriz Del Blanco
- Instituto de Parasitología y Biomedicina López-Neyra (IPBLN-CSIC), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Parque Tecnológico de Ciencias de la Salud, Avenida del Conocimiento s/n. 18100 Armilla, Spain
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28
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Guo C, Yoon HS, Franklin A, Jain S, Ebert A, Cheng HL, Hansen E, Despo O, Bossen C, Vettermann C, Bates JG, Richards N, Myers D, Patel H, Gallagher M, Schlissel MS, Murre C, Busslinger M, Giallourakis CC, Alt FW. CTCF-binding elements mediate control of V(D)J recombination. Nature 2011; 477:424-30. [PMID: 21909113 PMCID: PMC3342812 DOI: 10.1038/nature10495] [Citation(s) in RCA: 211] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2010] [Accepted: 07/18/2011] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Immunoglobulin heavy chain (IgH) variable region exons are assembled from V(H), D and J(H) gene segments in developing B lymphocytes. Within the 2.7-megabase mouse Igh locus, V(D)J recombination is regulated to ensure specific and diverse antibody repertoires. Here we report in mice a key Igh V(D)J recombination regulatory region, termed intergenic control region 1 (IGCR1), which lies between the V(H) and D clusters. Functionally, IGCR1 uses CTCF looping/insulator factor-binding elements and, correspondingly, mediates Igh loops containing distant enhancers. IGCR1 promotes normal B-cell development and balances antibody repertoires by inhibiting transcription and rearrangement of D(H)-proximal V(H) gene segments and promoting rearrangement of distal V(H) segments. IGCR1 maintains ordered and lineage-specific V(H)(D)J(H) recombination by suppressing V(H) joining to D segments not joined to J(H) segments, and V(H) to DJ(H) joins in thymocytes, respectively. IGCR1 is also required for feedback regulation and allelic exclusion of proximal V(H)-to-DJ(H) recombination. Our studies elucidate a long-sought Igh V(D)J recombination control region and indicate a new role for the generally expressed CTCF protein.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- B-Lymphocytes/cytology
- B-Lymphocytes/metabolism
- CCCTC-Binding Factor
- Cell Lineage/genetics
- Chromosomes, Mammalian/genetics
- Chromosomes, Mammalian/metabolism
- DNA, Intergenic/genetics
- Enhancer Elements, Genetic/genetics
- Feedback, Physiological
- Gene Rearrangement, B-Lymphocyte, Heavy Chain/genetics
- Germ Cells/metabolism
- Immunoglobulin Heavy Chains/genetics
- Immunoglobulin Variable Region/genetics
- Mice
- Mutation/genetics
- Recombination, Genetic/genetics
- Regulatory Sequences, Nucleic Acid/genetics
- Repressor Proteins/metabolism
- Thymus Gland/cytology
- Transcription, Genetic/genetics
- VDJ Exons/genetics
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Affiliation(s)
- Chunguang Guo
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, The Children's Hospital, The Immune Disease Institute, Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, 300 Longwood Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
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29
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Roy AL, Sen R, Roeder RG. Enhancer-promoter communication and transcriptional regulation of Igh. Trends Immunol 2011; 32:532-9. [PMID: 21855411 DOI: 10.1016/j.it.2011.06.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2011] [Revised: 06/23/2011] [Accepted: 06/23/2011] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Transcriptional regulation of eukaryotic protein-coding genes requires the participation of site-specific transcription factors that bind distal regulatory elements, as well as factors that, together with RNA polymerase II, form the basal transcription machinery at the core promoter. Gene regulation requires proper communication between promoters and enhancers, often over great distances. Therefore, it is important to understand the potentially inter-related transcription factor interactions at both of these elements. How this is achieved on tissue-specific genes, such as the immunoglobulin heavy chain (IgH) in B cells remains unclear. Here, we review known interactions at the Igh variable region (V(H)) promoters and present our perspective on promoter-enhancer interactions that are likely important for Ig gene regulation in B cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ananda L Roy
- Program in Immunology, Department of Pathology, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA.
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30
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Abstract
In this issue of Immunity Ebert et al. (2011) defined the lineage- and stage-specific Pax5-dependent cis-sequences termed PAIR elements in the distal region of the mouse heavy chain immunoglobulin locus (Igh). These sequences may have a role in long-range IgH V(D)J recombination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chunguang Guo
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, The Children's Hospital, The Immune Disease Institute, Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, 300 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA
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Feeney AJ. Epigenetic regulation of antigen receptor gene rearrangement. Curr Opin Immunol 2011; 23:171-7. [PMID: 21216580 PMCID: PMC3073619 DOI: 10.1016/j.coi.2010.12.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2010] [Revised: 12/14/2010] [Accepted: 12/14/2010] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Recent studies of the regulation of antigen receptor rearrangement have revealed several completely new levels of control. Not only do antigen receptor loci undergo changes in histone modifications as they become accessible for recombination, but also the number of different histone modifications and the variation at different parts of each receptor locus reveal great complexity. RAG2 is now known to bind to one of these histone modifications, H3K4me3, and this targets the initial RAG binding events to the J genes. The large megabase receptor loci undergo 3D changes in their structure during rearrangement, and receptor loci move throughout the nucleus, transiently binding to heterochromatin, and transiently pairing with each other. RAG-mediated DNA breaks promote some of these movements, and also result in widespread changes in the transcriptional profile promoting differentiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ann J Feeney
- Department of Immunology and Microbial Science, IMM22, The Scripps Research Institute, 10550 N. Torrey Pines Rd., La Jolla, CA 920137, USA.
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Xiang Y, Zhou X, Hewitt SL, Skok JA, Garrard WT. A multifunctional element in the mouse Igκ locus that specifies repertoire and Ig loci subnuclear location. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2011; 186:5356-66. [PMID: 21441452 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1003794] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
Nonbiased V gene usage for V(D)J joining is essential for providing an optimal immune system, but no cis-acting sequence with this function has been uncovered. We previously identified a recombination silencer and heterochromatin targeting element in the Vκ-Jκ intervening sequence of germline Igκ transgenes, which we termed Sis. We now have generated Sis knockout mice in the endogenous locus. Intriguingly, Sis(-/-) mice exhibit a skewed Igκ repertoire with markedly decreased distal and enhanced proximal Vκ gene usage for primary rearrangement, which is associated with reduced occupancy of Ikaros and CCCTC-binding factor in the Vκ-Jκ intervening sequence in pre-B cells, proteins believed to be responsible for dampening the recombination of nearby Vκ genes and altering higher-order chromatin looping. Furthermore, monoallelic heterochromatin localization is significantly reduced in Sis(-/-) mice for Igκ in cis and IgH loci in trans in pre-B cells. Because Sis(-/-) mice still allelically excluded Igκ and IgH loci and still exhibited IgL isotype exclusion, we concluded that stable localization at pericentromeric heterochromatin is neither necessary nor sufficient for the establishment or maintenance of allelic exclusion. Hence, Sis is a novel multifunctional element that specifies repertoire and heterochromatin localization to Ig genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yougui Xiang
- Department of Molecular Biology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
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Giallourakis CC, Franklin A, Guo C, Cheng HL, Yoon HS, Gallagher M, Perlot T, Andzelm M, Murphy AJ, Macdonald LE, Yancopoulos GD, Alt FW. Elements between the IgH variable (V) and diversity (D) clusters influence antisense transcription and lineage-specific V(D)J recombination. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2010; 107:22207-12. [PMID: 21123744 PMCID: PMC3009784 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1015954107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Ig and T-cell receptor (TCR) variable-region gene exons are assembled from component variable (V), diversity (D) and joining (J) gene segments during early B and T cell development. The RAG1/2 endonuclease initiates V(D)J recombination by introducing DNA double-strand breaks at borders of the germ-line segments. In mice, the Ig heavy-chain (IgH) locus contains, from 5' to 3', several hundred V(H) gene segments, 13 D segments, and 4 J(H) segments within a several megabase region. In developing B cells, IgH variable-region exon assembly is ordered with D to J(H) rearrangement occurring on both alleles before appendage of a V(H) segment. Also, IgH V(H) to DJ(H) rearrangement does not occur in T cells, even though DJ(H) rearrangements occur at low levels. In these contexts, V(D)J recombination is controlled by modulating substrate gene segment accessibility to RAG1/2 activity. To elucidate control elements, we deleted the 100-kb intergenic region that separates the V(H) and D clusters (generating ΔV(H)-D alleles). In both B and T cells, ΔV(H)-D alleles initiated high-level antisense and, at lower levels, sense transcription from within the downstream D cluster, with antisense transcripts extending into proximal V(H) segments. In developing T lymphocytes, activated germ-line antisense transcription was accompanied by markedly increased IgH D-to-J(H) rearrangement and substantial V(H) to DJ(H) rearrangement of proximal IgH V(H) segments. Thus, the V(H)-D intergenic region, and likely elements within it, can influence silencing of sense and antisense germ-line transcription from the IgH D cluster and thereby influence targeting of V(D)J recombination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cosmas C. Giallourakis
- The Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Children's Hospital, Immune Disease Institute and Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115
- Gastrointestinal Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114; and
| | - Andrew Franklin
- The Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Children's Hospital, Immune Disease Institute and Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115
| | - Chunguang Guo
- The Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Children's Hospital, Immune Disease Institute and Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115
| | - Hwei-Ling Cheng
- The Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Children's Hospital, Immune Disease Institute and Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115
| | - Hye Suk Yoon
- The Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Children's Hospital, Immune Disease Institute and Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115
| | - Michael Gallagher
- The Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Children's Hospital, Immune Disease Institute and Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115
| | - Thomas Perlot
- The Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Children's Hospital, Immune Disease Institute and Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115
| | - Milena Andzelm
- The Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Children's Hospital, Immune Disease Institute and Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115
| | | | | | | | - Frederick W. Alt
- The Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Children's Hospital, Immune Disease Institute and Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115
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Zhou X, Xiang Y, Garrard WT. The Igκ gene enhancers, E3' and Ed, are essential for triggering transcription. JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY (BALTIMORE, MD. : 1950) 2010; 185:7544-52. [PMID: 21076060 PMCID: PMC3059262 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1002665] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
The mouse Igκ gene locus has three known transcriptional enhancers: an intronic enhancer (Ei), a 3' enhancer (E3'), and a further downstream enhancer (Ed). Previous studies on B lymphocytes derived from mutant embryonic stem cells have shown that deletion of either Ei or E3' significantly reduces Igκ gene rearrangement, whereas the combined deletion of both Ei and E3' eliminates such recombination. Furthermore, deletion of either E3' or Ed significantly reduces rearranged Igκ gene transcription. To determine whether the combined presence of both E3' and Ed are essential for Igκ gene expression, we generated homozygous double knockout (DKO) mice with targeted deletions in both elements. Significantly, homozygous DKO mice were unable to generate κ(+) B cells both in bone marrow and the periphery and exhibited surface expression almost exclusively of Igλ-chains, despite the fact that they possessed potentially functional rearranged Igκ genes. Compared with their single-enhancer-deleted counterparts, Igκ loci in homozygous DKO mice exhibited dramatically reduced germline and rearranged gene transcription, lower levels of gene rearrangement and histone H3 acetylation, and markedly increased DNA methylation. This contributed to a partial developmental block at the pre-B cell stage of development. We conclude that the two downstream enhancers are essential in Igκ gene expression and that Ei in homozygous DKO mice is incapable of triggering Igκ gene transcription. Furthermore, these results reveal unexpected compensatory roles for Ed in E3' knockout mice in triggering germline transcription and Vκ gene rearrangements to both Jκ and RS elements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaorong Zhou
- Department of Molecular Biology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Blvd., Dallas, TX 75390-9148
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical School of Nantong University, 19 Qixiu Road, Nantong, Jiangsu 226001, PR China
| | - Yougui Xiang
- Department of Molecular Biology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Blvd., Dallas, TX 75390-9148
| | - William T. Garrard
- Department of Molecular Biology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Blvd., Dallas, TX 75390-9148
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