Biomaterial Database

Joining of immunoglobulin heavy chain gene segments: implications from a chromosome with evidence of three D-JH fusions. 1982

F W Alt, and D Baltimore

A chromosomal segment with a unique structure around the immunoglobulin heavy chain joining region (JH) has been molecularly cloned from an Abelson murine leukemia virus-transformed cell line. Attached to JH3 in the cloned DNA, in inverted sequence, is the DNA from JH1 to the JH2 recognition sequence. The inverted segment is attached at its other end to the 5' recognition sequence of a diversity segment (D). To form this structure, three joining events must have occurred on the same chromosome. One of these events could have been a normal D-JH joining but the others must have been irregular events including ones that result in inversions. One of the joining events left fused recognition elements from JH2 and a D whose sequence shows that, during joining, reciprocal joinings of the recognition elements must occur to fuse the heptameric elements back to back. Because joined D and JH undergo deletion of terminal coding sequence during recombination but the joined heptameric recognition sequences do not contain the deleted sequence, joining must be a nonreciprocal event. Also, extra nucleotides are inserted between D and JH as part of the joining process; it is suggested that this added sequence is a product of the activity of terminal deoxynucleotidyltransferase at the D/JH (and probably the VH/D) joints and that it represents a new element of heavy chain gene structure, the N region.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007143	Immunoglobulin Heavy Chains	The largest of polypeptide chains comprising immunoglobulins. They contain 450 to 600 amino acid residues per chain, and have molecular weights of 51-72 kDa.	Immunoglobulins, Heavy-Chain,Heavy-Chain Immunoglobulins,Ig Heavy Chains,Immunoglobulin Heavy Chain,Immunoglobulin Heavy Chain Subgroup VH-I,Immunoglobulin Heavy Chain Subgroup VH-III,Heavy Chain Immunoglobulins,Heavy Chain, Immunoglobulin,Heavy Chains, Ig,Heavy Chains, Immunoglobulin,Immunoglobulin Heavy Chain Subgroup VH I,Immunoglobulin Heavy Chain Subgroup VH III,Immunoglobulins, Heavy Chain
D008099	Liver	A large lobed glandular organ in the abdomen of vertebrates that is responsible for detoxification, metabolism, synthesis and storage of various substances.	Livers
D002460	Cell Line	Established cell cultures that have the potential to propagate indefinitely.	Cell Lines,Line, Cell,Lines, Cell
D002875	Chromosomes	In a prokaryotic cell or in the nucleus of a eukaryotic cell, a structure consisting of or containing DNA which carries the genetic information essential to the cell. (From Singleton & Sainsbury, Dictionary of Microbiology and Molecular Biology, 2d ed)	Chromosome
D004262	DNA Restriction Enzymes	Enzymes that are part of the restriction-modification systems. They catalyze the endonucleolytic cleavage of DNA sequences which lack the species-specific methylation pattern in the host cell's DNA. Cleavage yields random or specific double-stranded fragments with terminal 5'-phosphates. The function of restriction enzymes is to destroy any foreign DNA that invades the host cell. Most have been studied in bacterial systems, but a few have been found in eukaryotic organisms. They are also used as tools for the systematic dissection and mapping of chromosomes, in the determination of base sequences of DNAs, and have made it possible to splice and recombine genes from one organism into the genome of another. EC 3.21.1.	Restriction Endonucleases,DNA Restriction Enzyme,Restriction Endonuclease,Endonuclease, Restriction,Endonucleases, Restriction,Enzymes, DNA Restriction,Restriction Enzyme, DNA,Restriction Enzymes, DNA
D005333	Fetus	The unborn young of a viviparous mammal, in the postembryonic period, after the major structures have been outlined. In humans, the unborn young from the end of the eighth week after CONCEPTION until BIRTH, as distinguished from the earlier EMBRYO, MAMMALIAN.	Fetal Structures,Fetal Tissue,Fetuses,Mummified Fetus,Retained Fetus,Fetal Structure,Fetal Tissues,Fetus, Mummified,Fetus, Retained,Structure, Fetal,Structures, Fetal,Tissue, Fetal,Tissues, Fetal
D005796	Genes	A category of nucleic acid sequences that function as units of heredity and which code for the basic instructions for the development, reproduction, and maintenance of organisms.	Cistron,Gene,Genetic Materials,Cistrons,Genetic Material,Material, Genetic,Materials, Genetic
D000818	Animals	Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA.	Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D001483	Base Sequence	The sequence of PURINES and PYRIMIDINES in nucleic acids and polynucleotides. It is also called nucleotide sequence.	DNA Sequence,Nucleotide Sequence,RNA Sequence,DNA Sequences,Base Sequences,Nucleotide Sequences,RNA Sequences,Sequence, Base,Sequence, DNA,Sequence, Nucleotide,Sequence, RNA,Sequences, Base,Sequences, DNA,Sequences, Nucleotide,Sequences, RNA
D051379	Mice	The common name for the genus Mus.	Mice, House,Mus,Mus musculus,Mice, Laboratory,Mouse,Mouse, House,Mouse, Laboratory,Mouse, Swiss,Mus domesticus,Mus musculus domesticus,Swiss Mice,House Mice,House Mouse,Laboratory Mice,Laboratory Mouse,Mice, Swiss,Swiss Mouse,domesticus, Mus musculus