Virus-transformed pre-B cells show ordered activation but not inactivation of immunoglobulin gene rearrangement and transcription.
Virus-transformed pre-B cells undergo ordered immunoglobulin (Ig) gene rearrangements during culture. We devised a series of highly sensitive polymerase chain reaction assays for Ig gene rearrangement and unrearranged Ig gene segment transcription to study both the possible relationship between these processes in cultured pre-B cells and the role played by heavy (H) chain (mu) protein in regulating gene rearrangement. Our analysis of pre-B cell cultures representing various stages of maturity revealed that transcription of each germline Ig locus precedes or is coincident with its rearrangement. Cell lines containing one functional rearranged H chain allele, however, continue to transcribe and to rearrange the allelic, unrearranged H chain locus. These cell lines appear to initiate but not terminate rearrangement events and therefore provide information about the requirements for activating rearrangement but not about allelic exclusion mechanisms.
Schlissel
M S
MS
Whitehead Institute, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142.
Corcoran
L M
LM
Baltimore
D
D
D000011:Abelson murine leukemia virus / Q000235:genetics*; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002460:Cell Line; D002472:Cell Transformation, Viral; D015321:Gene Rearrangement; D005803:Genes, Immunoglobulin; D006801:Humans; D007127:Immunoglobulin Constant Regions / Q000235:genetics; D007143:Immunoglobulin Heavy Chains / Q000235:genetics*; D007133:Immunoglobulin Joining Region / Q000235:genetics; D007147:Immunoglobulin Light Chains / Q000235:genetics*; D007135:Immunoglobulin Variable Region / Q000235:genetics; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D015345:Oligonucleotide Probes; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
D007127:Immunoglobulin Constant Regions; D007143:Immunoglobulin Heavy Chains; D007133:Immunoglobulin Joining Region; D007147:Immunoglobulin Light Chains; D007135:Immunoglobulin Variable Region; D015345:Oligonucleotide Probes