Reciprocal recombination products of VK-JK joining reactions in human lymphoid cell lines

• Published in: Nucleic acids research 1987-01, Vol.15 (1), p.1-14
• Main Authors: DEEV, S. M, COMBRIATO, G, KLOBECK, H.-G, ZACHAU, H. G
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Alleles; Applied sciences; Base Sequence; Burkitt Lymphoma; Cell Line; Cloning, Molecular; DNA Restriction Enzymes; DNA, Recombinant - metabolism; Exact sciences and technology; Genes; Humans; Immunoglobulin kappa-Chains - genetics; Immunoglobulin Light Chains - genetics; Immunoglobulin Variable Region - genetics; Other techniques and industries
• ISSN: 0305-1048; 1362-4962
• DOI: 10.1093/nar/15.1.1

The recombination process that joins a VK to a JK segment of an immunoglobulin gene generates a second, reciprocal recombination product called f fragment. In this second product the regions flanking the VK and JK segments in the germline are joined in a head to head fashion. We now analysed f fragments in the human lymphoid cell lines Daudi, JI and IARC/BL41. All three f fragments contain JK1 flanks; the VK derived moiety of f Daudi and f41 could be traced back to known germline VK genes. There is a precise head to head joining of the heptanucleotide signal sequences in f Daudi and fJI while in f41 six nucleotides are present between the signal sequences. In contrast to the VK-JK recombination products, the f fragments were found to lack somatic mutations. The structures of the f fragments are discussed in the context of the VK-JK rearrangement mechanism.