IgH Chain Class Switch Recombination: Mechanism and Regulation
Year: 2014
Type: review
Abstract: IgH class switching occurs rapidly after activation of mature naive B cells, resulting in a switch from expression of IgM and IgD to expression of IgG, IgE, or IgA; this switch improves the ability of Abs to remove the pathogen that induces the humoral immune response. Class switching occurs by a deletional recombination between two switch regions, each of which is associated with a H chain constant region gene. Class switch recombination (CSR) is instigated by activation-induced cytidine deaminase, which converts cytosines in switch regions to uracils. The uracils are subsequently removed by two DNA-repair pathways, resulting in mutations, single-strand DNA breaks, and the double-strand breaks required for CSR. We discuss several aspects of CSR, including how CSR is induced, CSR in B cell progenitors, the roles of transcription and chromosomal looping in CSR, and the roles of certain DNA-repair enzymes in CSR.
Source: The Journal of Immunology
Authors: Janet Stavnezer, Carol E Schrader
Institution: University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School
Language: English
Topic: DNA Repair Mechanisms
Subfield: Molecular Biology
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W1913397935