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Insertion of N regions into heavy-chain genes is correlated with expression of terminal deoxytransferase in B cells

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Abstract

The variable regions of immunoglobulin heavy chains are encoded in the germ line by three discrete DNA segments: VH (variable) elements, D (diversity) elements and JH (joining) elements. During the differentiation of B lymphocytes, individual segments from each group are brought together by recombination to form the complete VHDJH variable region1–8. To understand these processes better, we have now isolated and sequenced molecular clones representing intermediates (DJH fusions) and final products ( VH-to-DJH joins) of heavy-chain gene rearrangement in two cell lines9,10 that represent analogues of cells at early stages of B-lymphocyte differentiation11–13. Heavy-chain gene assembly in one cell line but not in the other is accompanied by the appearance of short nucleotide insertions at the recombinational junctions. The generation of such insertions is positively correlated with the expression of terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase in these lines.

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Author notes

  1. Elise Thomas

    Present address: Tufts University, School of Veterinary Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, 02111, USA

  2. Michael A. Boss

    Present address: Celltech Ltd, Slough, SL1 4DY, UK

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02142, USA

    Stephen V. Desiderio, Michael Paskind, Elise Thomas, Michael A. Boss, Nathaniel Landau & David Baltimore

  2. Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02139, USA

    Stephen V. Desiderio, Michael Paskind, Elise Thomas, Michael A. Boss, Nathaniel Landau & David Baltimore

  3. College of Physicians and Surgeons, Department of Biochemistry, Columbia University, New York, New York, 10027, USA

    George D. Yancopoulos & Frederick W. Alt

Authors
  1. Stephen V. Desiderio
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  2. George D. Yancopoulos
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  3. Michael Paskind
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  4. Elise Thomas
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  5. Michael A. Boss
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  6. Nathaniel Landau
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  7. Frederick W. Alt
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  8. David Baltimore
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Desiderio, S., Yancopoulos, G., Paskind, M. et al. Insertion of N regions into heavy-chain genes is correlated with expression of terminal deoxytransferase in B cells. Nature 311, 752–755 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1038/311752a0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/311752a0

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