AID recruits UNG and Msh2 to Ig switch regions dependent upon the AID C terminus [corrected]

J Immunol. 2011 Sep 1;187(5):2464-75. doi: 10.4049/jimmunol.1101406. Epub 2011 Jul 29.

Abstract

Activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID) is induced in B cells during an immune response and is essential for both class-switch recombination (CSR) and somatic hypermutation of Ab genes. The C-terminal 10 aa of AID are required for CSR but not for somatic hypermutation, although their role in CSR is unknown. Using retroviral transduction into mouse splenic B cells, we show that the C terminus is not required for switch (S) region double-strand breaks (DSBs) and therefore functions downstream of DSBs. Using chromatin immunoprecipitation, we show that AID binds cooperatively with UNG and the mismatch repair proteins Msh2-Msh6 to Ig Sμ and Sγ3 regions, and this depends on the C terminus and the deaminase activity of AID. We also show that mismatch repair does not contribute to the efficiency of CSR in the absence of the AID C terminus. Although it has been demonstrated that both UNG and Msh2-Msh6 are important for introduction of S region DSBs, our data suggest that the ability of AID to recruit these proteins is important for DSB resolution, perhaps by directing the S region DSBs toward accurate and efficient CSR via nonhomologous end joining.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • B-Lymphocytes / immunology
  • B-Lymphocytes / metabolism
  • Cell Separation
  • Chromatin Immunoprecipitation
  • Cytidine Deaminase / chemistry
  • Cytidine Deaminase / metabolism*
  • DNA-Binding Proteins / metabolism*
  • Flow Cytometry
  • Immunoglobulin Class Switching / physiology*
  • Immunoglobulin G
  • Immunoglobulin Switch Region / physiology*
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Mice, Knockout
  • MutS Homolog 2 Protein / metabolism*
  • Protein Binding
  • Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Uracil-DNA Glycosidase / metabolism*

Substances

  • DNA-Binding Proteins
  • Immunoglobulin G
  • Msh6 protein, mouse
  • Uracil-DNA Glycosidase
  • AICDA (activation-induced cytidine deaminase)
  • Cytidine Deaminase
  • Msh2 protein, mouse
  • MutS Homolog 2 Protein