title: Involvement of Artemis in nonhomologous end-joining during immunoglobulin class switch recombination.
abstract: DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) introduced in the switch (S) regions are intermediates during immunoglobulin class switch recombination (CSR). These breaks are subsequently recognized, processed, and joined, leading to recombination of the two S regions. Nonhomologous end-joining (NHEJ) is believed to be the principle mechanism involved in DSB repair during CSR. One important component in NHEJ, Artemis, has however been considered to be dispensable for efficient CSR. In this study, we have characterized the S recombinational junctions from Artemis-deficient human B cells. Smu-Salpha junctions could be amplified from all patients tested and were characterized by a complete lack of "direct" end-joining and a remarkable shift in the use of an alternative, microhomology-based end-joining pathway. Smu-Sgamma junctions could only be amplified from one patient who carries "hypomorphic" mutations. Although these Smu-Sgamma junctions appear to be normal, a significant increase of an unusual type of sequential switching from immunoglobulin (Ig)M, through one IgG subclass, to a different IgG subclass was observed, and the Sgamma-Sgamma junctions showed long microhomologies. Thus, when the function of Artemis is impaired, varying modes of CSR junction resolution may be used for different S regions. Our findings strongly link Artemis to the predominant NHEJ pathway during CSR.
authors.affiliation: Clinical Immunology, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Karolinska Institutet at Karolinska University Hospital Huddinge, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Likun
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Du
authors.forename: Mirjam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: van der Burg
authors.forename: Sergey W
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Popov
authors.forename: Ashwin
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kotnis
authors.forename: Jacques J M
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: van Dongen
authors.forename: Andrew R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Gennery
authors.forename: Qiang
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Pan-Hammarström
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology / Q000502:physiology*; D001483:Base Sequence; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D053903:DNA Breaks, Double-Stranded; D004260:DNA Repair; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D004720:Endonucleases; D006801:Humans; D017578:Immunoglobulin Class Switching; D007136:Immunoglobulins / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology; D007223:Infant; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D011995:Recombination, Genetic; D016415:Sequence Alignment
chemical_list: D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D007136:Immunoglobulins; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; C426344:DCLRE1C protein, human; D004720:Endonucleases