Regulation of genome rearrangement events during lymphocyte differentiation

Immunoglobulin heavy chain gene rearrangements in X-linked agammaglobulinemia

X-linked agammaglobulinemia (XLA) appears to involve a defect in human B lymphocyte differentiation which is manifested at the pre-B cell stage. The defect segregates as an X-linked recessive trait but is not a single genetic entity. IgM-producing B cell clones were established by Epstein-Barr virus transformation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells of patients with the XLA defect linked to the DXS3 and DXS17 chromosomal loci. Individual XLA B cell clones were demonstrated to have rearrangements of the JH regions of both immunoglobulin VH region loci. The rearranged JH regions of the B cell clone ALA 19 were molecularly cloned and their nucleotide sequence was determined. Both JH-associated rearrangements (designated 191 and 192) resulted from the juxtaposition of variable (VH), diversity (D) and joining (JH) segments (VHDJH rearrangements). The 191 rearrangement employed a VH segment belonging to VH subgroup III and a JH4 segment. The 192 rearrangement employed a VHII and a JH6 segment. The D191 and D192 segments encompassed 21 and 28 nucleotides, respectively, and showed little homology to each other or to previously reported human D sequences. Surprisingly, both VHDJH complexes had open reading frames. However, in accord with principles of allelic exclusion, only the 191 allele was detectably expressed in the total RNA of the cell. A possible mechanism for the lack of expression of the 192 allele is discussed. We conclude that the DXS3-DXS17-linked XLA defect does not preclude VH to DJH rearrangements or the expression of VH containing heavy chain molecules.

A novel cell surface molecule on early B-lineage cells

B cells and their antibody-secreting progeny represent one of several differentiation pathways that haematopoietic stem cells (HSC) may enter. Cells representing intermediate stages between HSC and B cells have been identified in mammalian haematopoietic tissues and studied intensively over the past decade. This population of early B-lineage cells, termed pre-B, is characterized by cellular proliferation and an orderly cascade of immunoglobulin gene rearrangements, a combination of events leading to the generation of clonally diverse B cells which then migrate to peripheral lymphoid tissues. It remains to be determined what elements determine the polyclonal growth of pre-B cells, how immunoglobulin gene rearrangements are regulated, and what happens to pre-B cells undergoing 'non-productive' immunoglobulin gene rearrangements. These issues could be resolved more easily if early B-lineage cells could be identified precisely and isolated. Here, we describe a cell surface glycoprotein that is selectively expressed by pre-B and newly formed B cells in murine haematopoietic tissues. The molecule, a homodimer formed by disulphide-linked chains of relative molecular mass (Mr) 140,000, is identified by a mouse monoclonal alloantibody called BP-1.

Class switch recombination is IgG1 specific on active and inactive IgH loci of IgG1-secreting B-cell blasts

Mouse B lymphocytes can be activated polyclonally by bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to secrete Ig and perform Ig class switch. In the presence of the T-cell lymphokine B-cell differentiation factor, the frequency of IgG1-secreting cells is drastically enhanced. We show here that IgG1-secreting B cells isolated from such cultures have undergone a similar DNA rearrangement of the switch regions (S mu, S gamma 1) of the Ig heavy chain constant region genes C mu and C gamma 1 on both active and inactive IgH loci. This result argues against a stochastic model of class switch recombination and suggests programmed class-specific switch recombination in the case of the switch to IgG1. In accord with this notion, cells expressing IgM but not IgG on the surface have not deleted or rearranged C mu or S gamma 1 on either chromosome.