Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

P nucleotides in V(D)J recombination: a fine-structure analysis

J T Meier1, S M Lewis

  • 1Division of Biology, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena 91125.

Molecular and Cellular Biology
|February 1, 1993
PubMed
Summary

P nucleotides, nonrandom DNA inserts in antigen receptor gene assembly, are influenced by DNA sequence and can exceed two residues. Their presence is linked to coding ends, challenging previous theories on their origin in V(D)J recombination.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Practical photonic bandgap structures for high frequency axion haloscopes.

The Review of scientific instruments·2025
Same author

Dark Matter Axion Search with HAYSTAC Phase II.

Physical review letters·2025
Same author

A quantum enhanced search for dark matter axions.

Nature·2021
Same author

A two-year toxicology study of bisphenol A (BPA) in Sprague-Dawley rats: CLARITY-BPA core study results.

Food and chemical toxicology : an international journal published for the British Industrial Biological Research Association·2019
Same author

Extinction to amphetamine-associated context in female rats is dependent upon conditioned orienting.

Psychopharmacology·2018
Same author

Enteral nutrition in head and neck cancer patients treated with intensity-modulated radiotherapy at a United Kingdom cancer centre.

Clinical nutrition ESPEN·2017

Area of Science:

  • Immunology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Antigen receptor genes assemble from V, D, and J segments, often incorporating junctional inserts.
  • A subset of these inserts, known as P nucleotides, exhibit nonrandom sequences that mirror abutting germ line DNA.
  • The precise mechanism and universality of P nucleotide formation in V(D)J recombination remain incompletely understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the characteristics of P nucleotide insertion in V(D)J recombination using an experimentally controlled system.
  • To determine if P nucleotide patterns are influenced by DNA sequence, insert length, or association with coding versus non-coding ends.
  • To evaluate the generality of P nucleotide patterns across different genetic loci and developmental stages.

Main Methods:

Related Experiment Videos

  • Utilized an experimentally manipulable system in wild-type lymphoid cells, free from immune selection.
  • Analyzed the fine structure of V(D)J junctions formed during recombination.
  • Performed statistical analyses on junctional insert sequences and surveyed published data on P nucleotides.

Main Results:

  • The frequency of P nucleotide insertion is significantly influenced by the DNA sequence at the joined ends.
  • P nucleotide inserts can be longer than the previously assumed maximum of two residues.
  • P nucleotide insertions were exclusively observed at coding ends of V(D)J junctions.
  • A broad survey of existing data found no variation in P nucleotide patterns based on genetic locus or ontogeny.

Conclusions:

  • P nucleotide insertion is a general feature of V(D)J recombination, influenced by local DNA sequence and associated with coding ends.
  • The observed characteristics of P nucleotides do not fully support prior hypotheses regarding their origin and essential role in the joining reaction.
  • Further research is needed to elucidate the precise molecular mechanisms driving P nucleotide formation.