Repair of programmed DNA lesions in antibody class switch recombination: common and unique features

Yafang Shang; Fei-Long Meng

doi:10.1007/s42764-021-00035-0

Repair of programmed DNA lesions in antibody class switch recombination: common and unique features

Genome Instab Dis. 2021;2(2):115-125. doi: 10.1007/s42764-021-00035-0. Epub 2021 Mar 26.

Authors

Yafang Shang¹, Fei-Long Meng¹

Affiliation

¹ State Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200031 China.

Abstract

The adaptive immune system can diversify the antigen receptors to eliminate various pathogens through programmed DNA lesions at antigen receptor genes. In immune diversification, general DNA repair machineries are applied to transform the programmed DNA lesions into gene mutation or recombination events with common and unique features. Here we focus on antibody class switch recombination (CSR), and review the initiation of base damages, the conversion of damaged base to DNA double-strand break, and the ligation of broken ends. With an emphasis on the unique features in CSR, we discuss recent advances in the understanding of DNA repair/replication coordination, and ERCC6L2-mediated deletional recombination. We further elaborate the application of CSR in end-joining, resection and translesion synthesis assays. In the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, we hope it help to understand the generation of therapeutic antibodies.

Keywords: AID; Class switch recombination; DNA repair; Deletional recombination; ERCC6L2; NHEJ; Rev7; Shieldin.

Publication types

Review