title: Early steps of V(D)J rearrangement: insights from biochemical studies of RAG-RSS complexes.
abstract: V(D)J recombination is initiated by the synapsis and cleavage of a complementary (12/23) pair of recombination signal sequences (RSSs) by the RAG1 and RAG2 proteins. Our understanding of these processes has been greatly aided by the development of in vitro biochemical assays of RAG binding and cleavage activity. Accumulating evidence suggests that synaptic complex assembly occurs in a step-wise manner and that the RAG proteins catalyze RSS cleavage by mechanisms similar to those used by bacterial transposases. In this chapter we will review the molecular mechanisms of RAG synaptic complex assembly and 12/23-regulated RSS cleavage, focusing on recent advances that shed new light on these processes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, Creighton University Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska 68178, USA. pswanson@creighton.edu
authors.forename: Patrick C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Swanson
authors.forename: Sushil
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.forename: Prafulla
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Raval
mesh_terms: D023902:Chromosome Pairing; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D015322:Gene Rearrangement, B-Lymphocyte; D015329:Gene Rearrangement, T-Lymphocyte; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D021382:Protein Sorting Signals; D011995:Recombination, Genetic; D045567:VDJ Recombinases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; D021382:Protein Sorting Signals; C064655:V(D)J recombination activating protein 2; C064658:RAG-1 protein; D045567:VDJ Recombinases