Class switch recombination

  Class switch recombination (CSR) is a biological mechanism that allows the class of antibody produced by an activated B cell to change during a process known as isotype or class switching. During CSR, portions of the antibody heavy chain locus are removed from the chromosome, and the gene segments surounding the deleted portion are rejoined to retain a functional antibody gene that produces antibody of a different isotype. Double-stranded breaks are generated in DNA at conserved nucleotide motifs, called switch (S) regions, which are upstream from gene segments that encode the constant regions of antibody heavy chains; these occur adjacent to all heavy chain constant region genes with the exception of the δ-chain. DNA is nicked and broken at two selected S-regions by the activity of a series of enzymes, including Activation-Induced (Cytidine) Deaminase (AID), uracil DNA glycosylase and apyrimidic/apurinic (AP)-endonucleases.^[1][2] The intervening DNA between the S-regions is subsequently deleted from the chromosome, removing unwanted μ or δ heavy chain constant region exons and allowing substitution of a γ, α or ε constant region gene segment. The free ends of the DNA are rejoined by a process called non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) to link the variable domain exon to the desired downstream constant domain exon of the antibody heavy chain.^[3] In the absence of non-homologous end joining, free ends of DNA may be rejoined by an alternative pathway biased toward microhomology joins.^[4]

References

1. ^ Durandy A (2003). "Activation-induced cytidine deaminase: a dual role in class-switch recombination and somatic hypermutation". Eur. J. Immunol. 33 (8): 2069-73. PMID 12884279.
2. ^ Casali P, Zan H (2004). "Class switching and Myc translocation: how does DNA break?". Nat. Immunol. 5 (11): 1101-3. PMID 15496946.
3. ^ Lieber MR, Yu K, Raghavan SC (2006). "Roles of nonhomologous DNA end joining, V(D)J recombination, and class switch recombination in chromosomal translocations". DNA Repair (Amst.) 5 (9-10): 1234-45. PMID 16793349.
4. ^ Yan CT, Boboila C, Souza EK, Franco S, Hickernell TR, Murphy M, Gumaste S, Geyer M, Zarrin AA, Manis JP, Rajewsky K, Alt FW (2007). "IgH class switching and translocations use a robust non-classical end-joining pathway". Nature. PMID 17713479.