P nucleotides, hairpin DNA and V(D)J joining: making the connection.
The fine-structures of V(D)J joining products present a cache of information about the recombination process. Testable hypotheses with predictive value are beginning to provide a surprisingly detailed picture of the joining operation. Here, one feature of V(D)J junctions, the appearance of short palindromic inserts, is discussed, and experimental evidence in support of a joining model involving a hairpin-terminated DNA intermediate will be summarized.
Lewis
S M
SM
Division of Biology, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena 91125.
D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*; D015321:Gene Rearrangement / Q000235:genetics*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D011946:Receptors, Antigen / Q000235:genetics*; D011995:Recombination, Genetic
D011946:Receptors, Antigen; D004247:DNA