title: The variable, C(H)1, C(H)2 and C(H)3 domains of Ig heavy chain are dispensable for pre-BCR function in transgenic mice.
abstract: The pre-BCR consists of Ig micro protein, the product of a heavy chain gene assembled by V(D)J recombination in pro-B cells, the surrogate light chains V(pre-B) and lambda 5, and the signaling chains Ig alpha and Ig beta. Signaling by the pre-BCR is a checkpoint required for further maturation of pro-B cells in the adult bone marrow. However, it is currently not known whether an extracellular ligand is required to initiate pre-BCR signaling. We reasoned that if the ectodomain of the pre-BCR is required to interact with a ligand, then a truncated heavy chain protein would not support B cell development. To test this notion, we produced transgenic mice expressing a heavy chain protein whose extracellular domains except for C(H)4 were replaced by an irrelevant Ig superfamily ectodomain from the human CD8 alpha protein. This transgene resulted in pre-BCR-like signaling since it rescued development of pre-B cells in recombinase-activating gene (RAG)1-deficient mice and resulted in allelic exclusion of the endogenous Ig heavy chain gene in RAG-proficient mice. These findings lead us to suggest that the majority of the extracellular region of the pre-BCR is not required for pre-BCR function and, thus, ligand binding is unlikely to be required for pre-BCR function.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-3200, USA.
authors.forename: Stefan A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Muljo
authors.forename: Mark S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Schlissel
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology; D016827:CD8 Antigens / Q000235:genetics; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D015326:Gene Rearrangement, B-Lymphocyte, Heavy Chain; D016654:Genes, RAG-1; D006801:Humans; D007143:Immunoglobulin Heavy Chains / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D007135:Immunoglobulin Variable Region / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D051379:Mice; D008809:Mice, Inbred C3H; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D011947:Receptors, Antigen, B-Cell / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D015398:Signal Transduction
chemical_list: D016827:CD8 Antigens; C431698:CD8alpha antigen; D007143:Immunoglobulin Heavy Chains; D007135:Immunoglobulin Variable Region; D011947:Receptors, Antigen, B-Cell