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Lee, Cho, and Lipsky: Evidence for V(H) Gene Replacement in Human Fetal B Cells
Original Article

Immune Network 2002; 2(2): 79-85.

Published online: 30 June 2002

DOI: https://doi.org/10.4110/in.2002.2.2.79

Evidence for V(H) Gene Replacement in Human Fetal B Cells

Ji Soo Lee1, Young Joo Cho1, Peter E. Lipsky2

1Department of Internal Medicine, Ewha Womans University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.

2Autoimmunity Branch, National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Besthesda, MD, U.S.A.

Corresponding Author (leejisoo@mm.ewcha.ac.kr)

Copyright © 2002 The Korean Association of Immunologists

(open-access):

This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract

BACKGROUND

In contrast to evidences of Ig H chain receptor editing in transformed cell lines and transgenic mouse models, there has been no direct evidence that this phenomenon occurs in human developing B cells.

METHODS

V(H)DJ(H) rearrangements were obtained from genomic DNA of individual IgM- B cells from liver and IgM+B cells from bone marrow of 18 wk of gestation human fetus by PCR amplification and direct sequencing.

RESULTS

We found three examples of H chain receptor editing from IgM+ and IgM+human fetal B cells. Two types of V(H) replacements were identified. The first involved V(H) hybrid formation, in which part of a V(H) gene from the initial VDJ rearrangement is replaced by part of an upstream V(H) gene at the site of cryptic RSS. The second involved a gene conversion like replacement of CDR2, in which another V(H) gene donated a portion of its CDR2 sequence to the initial VDJ rearrangement.

CONCLUSION

These data provide evidence of receptor editing at the H chain loci in developing human B cells, and also the first evidence of a gene conversion event in human Ig genes.

Keywords: Human, fetal, B lymphocyte, heavy chain, receptor editing

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