Abstract

The genes encoding antigen receptors are unique because of their high diversity and their assembly in developing lymphocytes from gene segments through a series of site-specific DNA recombination reactions known as V(D)J rearrangement. This review focuses on our understanding of how recombination of immunoglobulin and T-cell receptor gene segments is tightly regulated despite being catalysed by a common lymphoid recombinase, which recognizes a widely distributed conserved recombination signal sequence. Probable mechanisms involve precise expression of the lymphoid-restricted recombination-activating genes RAG1 and RAG2, and developmentally regulated epigenetic alterations in template accessibility, which are targeted by transcriptional regulatory elements and involve chromatin-modifying enzymes.

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call

Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.