title: Gene segment selection in V(D)J recombination: accessibility and beyond.
abstract: V(D)J recombination assembles genes encoding antigen receptors according to defined developmental programs in immature B and T lymphocytes. The 'accessibility hypothesis' was initially invoked to explain how a single recombinase complex could control the locus and allele specificity of V(D)J recombination. It has been since shown that recombination signal sequences themselves influence recombination efficiency and specificity in ways that had not been previously appreciated. Recent developments have increased our understanding of how the chromatin barrier to V(D)J recombination is regulated, and how chromatin control and the properties of the underlying recombination signal sequences may cooperate to create diverse, lineage-restricted and allelically excluded repertoires of antigen receptors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina 27710, USA. krang001@mc.duke.edu
authors.forename: Michael S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Krangel
mesh_terms: D000483:Alleles; D000818:Animals; D002843:Chromatin / Q000502:physiology; D018899:CpG Islands; D019175:DNA Methylation; D004742:Enhancer Elements, Genetic; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D015321:Gene Rearrangement; D005803:Genes, Immunoglobulin; D006657:Histones / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007133:Immunoglobulin Joining Region / Q000235:genetics*; D007135:Immunoglobulin Variable Region / Q000235:genetics*; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell / Q000235:genetics*; D011995:Recombination, Genetic
chemical_list: D002843:Chromatin; D006657:Histones; D007133:Immunoglobulin Joining Region; D007135:Immunoglobulin Variable Region; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell