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Antisense intergenic transcription in V(D)J recombination
Daniel J Bolland1, Andrew L Wood, Colette M Johnston
1Laboratory of Chromatin and Gene Expression, The Babraham Institute, Cambridge CB2 4AT, UK.
Nature Immunology
|April 27, 2004
Summary
Antisense transcription in the immunoglobulin heavy chain locus remodels chromatin, facilitating V(D)J recombination. This developmentally regulated process is crucial for immune system gene assembly.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Molecular Biology
- Genetics
Background:
- V(D)J recombination is essential for adaptive immunity, enabling diverse antigen receptor generation.
- This process necessitates significant, ordered chromatin remodeling within antigen receptor loci.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role and characteristics of antisense transcription in the immunoglobulin heavy chain locus during V(D)J recombination.
- To determine the developmental regulation and genomic extent of antisense transcripts.
Main Methods:
- RNA fluorescence in situ hybridization (RNA-FISH) was employed to visualize and analyze antisense transcription.
- The study focused on the V region of the immunoglobulin heavy chain locus.
Main Results:
- Extensive antisense transcription, both genic and intergenic, was detected in the immunoglobulin heavy chain V region.
- Antisense transcription is developmentally regulated, initiating during DJ(H) to VDJ(H) recombination and ceasing upon its completion.
- Transcripts were observed to span multiple genes within the V region.
Conclusions:
- Antisense transcription actively remodels the V region chromatin, promoting V(H)-to-DJ(H) recombination.
- These findings suggest a novel mechanism for regulating V(D)J recombination and have broader implications for multigene locus regulation.