title: Gene conversion in the chicken immunoglobulin locus: a paradigm of homologous recombination in higher eukaryotes.
abstract: Gene conversion was first defined in yeast as a type of homologous recombination in which the donor sequence does not change. In chicken B cells, gene conversion builds the antigen receptor repertoire by introducing sequence diversity into the immunoglobulin genes. Immunoglobulin gene conversion continues at high frequency in an avian leukosis virus induced chicken B cell line. This cell line can be modified by homologous integration of transfected DNA constructs offering a model system for studying gene conversion in higher eukaryotes. In search for genes which might participate in chicken immunoglobulin gene conversion, we have identified chicken counterparts of the yeast RAD51, RAD52, and RAD54 genes. Disruption and overexpression of these genes in the chicken B cell line may clarify their role in gene conversion and gene targeting.
authors.affiliation: Basel Institute for Immunology, Switzerland.
authors.forename: O Y
authors.initials: OY
authors.lastname: Bezzubova
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Buerstedde
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000916:Antibody Diversity; D030161:Avian Proteins; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000502:physiology; D002645:Chickens / Q000235:genetics*; D004265:DNA Helicases; D004260:DNA Repair; D045643:DNA Repair Enzymes; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000502:physiology; D004843:Epistasis, Genetic; D005656:Fungal Proteins / Q000502:physiology; D005785:Gene Conversion; D005803:Genes, Immunoglobulin; D007147:Immunoglobulin Light Chains / Q000235:genetics; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011506:Proteins / Q000502:physiology; D051135:Rad51 Recombinase; D051721:Rad52 DNA Repair and Recombination Protein; D011995:Recombination, Genetic; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
chemical_list: D030161:Avian Proteins; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D005656:Fungal Proteins; D007147:Immunoglobulin Light Chains; D011506:Proteins; D051721:Rad52 DNA Repair and Recombination Protein; C499308:Rag2 protein, mouse; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins; C064655:V(D)J recombination activating protein 2; C495150:RAD51 protein, Gallus gallus; D051135:Rad51 Recombinase; C495154:Rad51 protein, mouse; C075468:RAD54 protein, S cerevisiae; D004265:DNA Helicases; D045643:DNA Repair Enzymes