Impaired induction of DNA lesions during immunoglobulin class-switch recombination in humans influences end-joining repair

Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2010 Dec 21;107(51):22225-30. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1012591108. Epub 2010 Dec 6.

Abstract

Ig class-switch recombination (CSR) is a region-specific process that exchanges the constant Ig heavy-chain region and thus modifies an antibody's effector function. DNA lesions in switch (S) regions are induced by activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID) and uracil-DNA glycosylase 2 (UNG2), subsequently processed to DNA breaks, and resolved by either the classical nonhomologous end-joining pathway or the alternative end-joining pathway (XRCC4/DNA ligase 4- and/or Ku70/Ku80-independent and prone to increased microhomology usage). We examined whether the induction of DNA lesions influences DNA end-joining during CSR by analyzing Sμ-Sα recombination junctions in various human Ig CSR defects of DNA lesion induction. We observed a progressive trend toward the usage of microhomology in Sμ-Sα recombination junctions from AID-heterozygous to AID-autosomal dominant to UNG2-deficient B lymphocytes. We thus hypothesize that impaired induction of DNA lesions in S regions during CSR leads to unusual end-processing of the DNA breaks, resulting in microhomology-mediated end-joining, which could be an indication for preferential processing by alternative end-joining rather than by classical nonhomologous end-joining.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Antigens, Nuclear / genetics
  • Antigens, Nuclear / immunology
  • Antigens, Nuclear / metabolism
  • Cytidine Deaminase / genetics
  • Cytidine Deaminase / immunology
  • Cytidine Deaminase / metabolism
  • DNA / genetics
  • DNA / immunology
  • DNA / metabolism*
  • DNA Breaks*
  • DNA Glycosylases / genetics
  • DNA Glycosylases / immunology
  • DNA Glycosylases / metabolism
  • DNA Repair / physiology*
  • DNA-Binding Proteins / genetics
  • DNA-Binding Proteins / immunology
  • DNA-Binding Proteins / metabolism
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Immunoglobulin Class Switching / physiology*
  • Ku Autoantigen
  • Male
  • Recombination, Genetic / physiology*

Substances

  • Antigens, Nuclear
  • DNA-Binding Proteins
  • XRCC4 protein, human
  • DNA
  • CCNO protein, human
  • DNA Glycosylases
  • AICDA (activation-induced cytidine deaminase)
  • Cytidine Deaminase
  • Xrcc6 protein, human
  • Ku Autoantigen