Search results
Results From The WOW.Com Content Network
[7] [17] [18] Although expression is typically found to be in the primary lymphoid organs, recent work has suggested that stimulation via antigen can result in secondary TdT expression along with other enzymes needed for gene rearrangement outside of the thymus for T-cells. [19] Patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia greatly over-produce ...
V(D)J recombination (variable–diversity–joining rearrangement) is the mechanism of somatic recombination that occurs only in developing lymphocytes during the early stages of T and B cell maturation. It results in the highly diverse repertoire of antibodies/immunoglobulins and T cell receptors (TCRs) found in B cells and T cells, respectively.
The most common structural abnormality is the rearrangement of the T-cell receptor (TCR) gene. 95% of T-cell TCRs consist of an alpha and beta chain (encoded by TRA and TRB, respectively), while only 5% consist of gamma and delta chains (encoded by TRG and TRD, respectively). [4]
The RAG proteins initiate V(D)J recombination, which is essential for the maturation of pre-B and pre-T cells. Activated mature B cells also possess two other remarkable, RAG-independent phenomena of manipulating their own DNA: so-called class-switch recombination (AKA isotype switching) and somatic hypermutation (AKA affinity maturation). [2]
Generation of junctional diversity through recombination illustrated between two gene segments: D (blue) and J (green). Sections highlighted in red show nucleotides added at each stage. Junctional diversity describes the DNA sequence variations introduced by the improper joining of gene segments during the process of V(D)J recombination.
T cells are grouped into a series of subsets based on their function. CD4 and CD8 T cells are selected in the thymus, but undergo further differentiation in the periphery to specialized cells which have different functions. T cell subsets were initially defined by function, but also have associated gene or protein expression patterns.
Somatic recombination, as opposed to the genetic recombination that occurs in meiosis, is an alteration of the DNA of a somatic cell that is inherited by its daughter cells. The term is usually reserved for large-scale alterations of DNA such as chromosomal translocations and deletions and not applied to point mutations .
Recombination signal sequences guide the enzyme complex to the V, D, and J gene segments that will undergo recombination during the formation of the heavy and light-chain variable regions in T-cell receptors and immunoglobulin molecules. [1]