title: RAG1 and RAG2 in V(D)J recombination and transposition.
abstract: RAG1 and RAG2 are the key components of the V(D)J recombinase machinery that catalyses the somatic gene rearrangements of antigen receptor genes during lymphocyte development. In the first step of V(D)J recombination--DNA cleavage--the RAG proteins act together as an endonuclease to excise the DNA between two individual gene segments. They are also thought to be involved in the subsequent DNA joining step. In vitro, the RAG proteins catalyze the integration of the excised DNA element into target DNA completing a process similar to bacterial transposition. In vivo, this reaction is suppressed by an unknown mechanism. The individual roles of RAG1 and RAG2 in V(D)J recombination and transposition reactions are discussed based on mutation analyses and structure predictions.
authors: Howard Hughes Medical Institute, New Haven, CT 06520-8011, USA. sebastian.fugmann@yale.edu
authors: S D
authors: SD
authors: Fugmann
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004254:DNA Nucleotidyltransferases / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D005091:Exons / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D015321:Gene Rearrangement; D005803:Genes, Immunoglobulin; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007133:Immunoglobulin Joining Region / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D007135:Immunoglobulin Variable Region / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D011995:Recombination, Genetic; D045567:VDJ Recombinases
chemical_list: D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; D007133:Immunoglobulin Joining Region; D007135:Immunoglobulin Variable Region; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; C499311:RAG2 protein, human; C064655:V(D)J recombination activating protein 2; C064658:RAG-1 protein; D004254:DNA Nucleotidyltransferases; D045567:VDJ Recombinases