V(D)J recombination: Born to be wild.
Vertebrates employ V(D)J recombination to generate diversity for an adaptive immune response. Born of a transposon, V(D)J recombination could conceivably cause more trouble than its worth. However, of the two steps required for transposon mobility (excision and integration) this particular transposon's integration step appears mostly blocked in cells. The employment of a transposon as raw material to develop adaptive immunity was thus a less-risky choice than it might have been … but is it completely risk-free?
Ramsden
Dale A
DA
Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics and Curriculum in Genetics and Molecular Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, United States. dale_ramsden@med.unc.edu
Weed
Brett D
BD
Reddy
Yeturu V R
YV
D000818:Animals; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D004251:DNA Transposable Elements / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D015321:Gene Rearrangement / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D007135:Immunoglobulin Variable Region / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D008954:Models, Biological; D011995:Recombination, Genetic; D045567:VDJ Recombinases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*
D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D007135:Immunoglobulin Variable Region; D045567:VDJ Recombinases