1512-Co-option Promotes Antibody Diversification
The research identifies a fundamental mechanism for antibody diversity, explaining how the enzyme AID specifically targets immunoglobulin genes for somatic hypermutation. Scientists discovered that ancient, non-functional LINE-1 retrotransposons located upstream of variable genes serve as a recruitment platform for the HUSH complex. During B cell activation, bidirectional transcription from the variable gene promoter creates antisense RNA that includes these retrotransposons, triggering a silencing response that inadvertently draws AID to the locus. Experimental evidence from knockout mice…
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