title: Somatic immunoglobulin hypermutation.
abstract: Immunoglobulin hypermutation provides the structural correlate for the affinity maturation of the antibody response. Characteristic modalities of this mechanism include a preponderance of point-mutations with prevalence of transitions over transversions, and the mutational hotspot RGYW sequence. Recent evidence suggests a mechanism whereby DNA-breaks induce error-prone DNA synthesis in immunoglobulin V(D)J regions by error-prone DNA polymerases. The nature of the targeting mechanism and the trans-factors effecting such breaks and their repair remain to be determined.
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, Imm16, The Scripps Research Institute, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA. mdiaz@scripps.edu
authors.forename: Marilyn
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Diaz
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Casali
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000502:physiology; D004249:DNA Damage / Q000502:physiology; D004259:DNA-Directed DNA Polymerase / Q000502:physiology; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental / Q000502:physiology; D015322:Gene Rearrangement, B-Lymphocyte / Q000502:physiology*; D015329:Gene Rearrangement, T-Lymphocyte / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007136:Immunoglobulins / Q000235:genetics*; D027041:Somatic Hypermutation, Immunoglobulin; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D007136:Immunoglobulins; D004259:DNA-Directed DNA Polymerase