Regulated somatic hypermutation enhances antibody affinity maturation
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ABSTRACT:
ORGANISM(S): Mus musculus
PROVIDER: GSE287123 | GEO | 2025/01/27
REPOSITORIES: GEO
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Project description:B cell somatic hypermutation (SHM) and selection in germinal center (GC)s enhance antibody affinity to antigen. Conventional understanding holds that SHM enhances pre-existing antibody specificities, limiting the scope of SHM-based antibody evolution to those established in the primary repertoire through V(D)J recombination. By tracking pre-defined non-specific B cells, we observed consistent SHM in non-cognate antibody genes after immunization in settings of diverse, polyclonal B and T cells. Removing B cell competition enabled these non-specific yet somatically mutating antibodies to develop entirely new specificities to diverse antigens. Our findings introduce an updated model, where SHM drives antibody diversification without requiring initial antigen specificity. This reveals that B cell competition, rather than a necessity for specific affinity, limits the emergence of new affinities (termed here as affinity birth) by SHM and highlights the mammalian adaptive immune system’s capacity to explore antibody-antigen interactions beyond the epitopes targeted by the V(D)J-dependent primary antibody repertoire.
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Project description:Somatic hypermutation (SHM) introduces point mutations into immunoglobulin (Ig) genes of activated B cells to support the process of antibody affinity maturation but also causes "off-target" mutations in other parts of the genome. We have used sensitive lentiviral SHM reporter vectors and a mutationally active human B cell line to identify dozens of regions of the genome that are intrinsically susceptible to SHM ("hot" regions) and many hundreds of regions that are resistant to SHM ("cold" regions). Hot and cold regions are frequently contained within topologically associated domains (TADs). Comparison of hot and cold TADs reveals that while overall levels of transcription are equal, hot TADs are enriched for NIPBL (a component of the cohesin loader), super enhancers, markers of paused/stalled RNA polymerase 2, and multiple transcription factors implicated in B cell development and targeting of SHM. We demonstrate that at least some hot TADs contain enhancer elements that possess SHM targeting activity and that insertion of a strong Ig SHM-targeting element into a cold TAD renders it hot. Our findings lead to a model for SHM susceptibility involving the cooperative action of cis-acting SHM targeting elements and the dynamic and architectural properties of TADs.
2019-12-04 | GSE139810 | GEO
Project description:This study provided new insights into the molecular mechanisms of SHM. For the first time, SHM was detected at the single-cell level in 58% of FL samples but not in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) used as control. The occurrence of SHM at the single-cell level was correlated with higher expression of DNA repair pathways and activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID), as well as the motifs associated with AID. FL is an essential in vivo model for studying SHM due to its high rate of ongoing SHM, and the findings of this study contribute to our understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved in human B-cells.
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Project description:The activation induced cytosine deaminase (AID) mediates diversification of B cell immunoglobulin genes by the three distinct yet related processes of somatic hypermutation (SHM), class switch recombination (CSR), and gene conversion (GCV). SHM occurs in germinal center B cells, and the transcription factor Bcl6 is a key regulator of the germinal center B cell gene expression program, including expression of AID. To test the hypothesis that Bcl6 function is important for the process of SHM, we compared WT chicken DT40 B cells, which constitutively perform SHM/GCV, to their Bcl6-deficient counterparts. We found that Bcl6-deficient DT40 cells were unable to perform SHM and GCV despite enforced high level expression of AID and substantial levels of AID in the nucleus of the cells. To gain mechanistic insight into the GCV/SHM dependency on Bcl6, transcriptional features of a highly expressed SHM target gene were analyzed in Bcl6-sufficient and -deficient DT40 cells. No defect was observed in the accumulation of single stranded DNA in the target gene as a result of Bcl6 deficiency. In contrast, association of Spt5, an RNA polymerase II (Pol II) and AID binding factor, was strongly reduced at the target gene body relative to the transcription start site in Bcl6-deficient cells as compared to WT cells. However, partial reconstitution of Bcl6 function substantially reconstituted Spt5 association with the target gene body but did not restore detectable SHM. Our observations suggest that in the absence of Bcl6, Spt5 fails to associate efficiently with Pol II at SHM targets, perhaps precluding robust AID action on the SHM target DNA. Our data also suggest, however, that Spt5 binding is not sufficient for SHM of a target gene even in DT40 cells with strong expression of AID. Sequencing of the IgL V region and mutationally active GFP transgene in WT, Bcl6-/- Pax5R, and Bcl6-/- Pax5R Bcl6R chicken DT40 cells for evidence of AID dependent mutations. ChIP-seq proiles of RNA Pol II, Spt5, and pSer5 Pol II at a GFP transgene in WT, Bcl6-/- Pax5R, and Bcl6-/- Pax5R Bcl6R chicken DT40 cells.
2016-02-21 | E-GEOD-77141 | biostudies-arrayexpress
Project description:The transcription factor Bach2 is required for germinal center formation and somatic hypermutation (SHM) of immunoglobulins, both central to an efficient antibody-mediated immune response. Activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID) initiates SHM and CSR in germinal centers and has potential to induce human B cell lymphoma. To understand the role of Bach2 in AID-mediated immunoglobulin gene diversification processes, we established a Bach2-deficient DT40 B cell line. We show that in addition to allowing SHM, Bach2 drives immunoglobulin gene conversion (GCV), an important AID-dependent antibody gene diversification process. We demonstrate that Bach2 promotes GCV by increasing the expression of AID. Importantly, we found that the regulation of AID is independent of Blimp-1 and that Bach2-deficient cells have altered expression of several genes regulating AID expression, stability and function. These results demonstrate that Bach2 has a previously unappreciated role in the production of high-affinity antibodies.
2017-03-27 | GSE92430 | GEO
Project description:Somatic hypermutation (SHM) and class switch recombination (CSR) increase the affinity and diversify the effector functions of antibodies during immune responses. Although SHM and CSR are fundamentally different, their independent roles in regulating B cell fate have been difficult to uncouple because a single enzyme, activation-induced cytidine deaminase (encoded by Aicda), initiates both reactions. Here, we used a combination of Aicda and antibody mutant alleles that separate the effects of CSR and SHM on polyclonal immune responses. We found that class-switching to IgG1 biased the fate choice made by B cells, favoring the plasma cell over memory cell fate without significantly affecting clonal expansion in the germinal center (GC). In contrast, SHM reduced the longevity of memory B cells by creating polyreactive specificities that were selected against over time. Our data define the independent contributions of SHM and CSR to the generation and persistence of memory in the antibody system.
2016-10-19 | GSE76865 | GEO
Project description:Somatic hypermutation (SHM) and class switch recombination (CSR) increase the affinity and diversify the effector functions of antibodies during immune responses. Although SHM and CSR are fundamentally different, their independent roles in regulating B cell fate have been difficult to uncouple because a single enzyme, activation-induced cytidine deaminase (encoded by Aicda), initiates both reactions. Here, we used a combination of Aicda and antibody mutant alleles that separate the effects of CSR and SHM on polyclonal immune responses. We found that class-switching to IgG1 biased the fate choice made by B cells, favoring the plasma cell over memory cell fate without significantly affecting clonal expansion in the germinal center (GC). In contrast, SHM reduced the longevity of memory B cells by creating polyreactive specificities that were selected against over time. Our data define the independent contributions of SHM and CSR to the generation and persistence of memory in the antibody system.
2016-10-19 | GSE76864 | GEO
Project description:Somatic hypermutation (SHM) drives the genetic diversity of immunoglobulin genes in activated B cells and supports the generation of antibodies with increased affinity for antigen. SHM is targeted to Ig genes by their enhancers (DIVACs; diversification activators) but how the enhancers mediate this activity is unknown. We show that DIVACs that strongly stimulate SHM increase the phosphorylation of RNA polymerase 2 (Pol2) and Pol2 occupancy in the mutating gene with little or no accompanying increase in elongation-competent Pol2 or production of full length transcripts, indicating the accumulation of stalled Pol2. DIVAC-induced stalling is weakly associated with an increase in the detection of single-stranded DNA bubbles in the mutating target gene. We did not find evidence for anti-sense transcription or an association of H3K27ac with DIVAC activity in the mutating gene. These findings argue for a connection between Pol2 stalling and cis-acting targeting elements in the context of SHM and thus define a mechanistic basis for locus-specific targeting of SHM in the genome. Our results suggest that DIVACs make the target gene a suitable platform for AID-mediated mutation without the need for increasing transcriptional output.
2021-10-22 | GSE180177 | GEO
Project description:Somatic hypermutation (SHM) drives the genetic diversity of immunoglobulin genes in activated B cells and supports the generation of antibodies with increased affinity for antigen. SHM is targeted to Ig genes by their enhancers (DIVACs; diversification activators) but how the enhancers mediate this activity is unknown. We show that DIVACs that strongly stimulate SHM increase the phosphorylation of RNA polymerase 2 (Pol2) and Pol2 occupancy in the mutating gene with little or no accompanying increase in elongation-competent Pol2 or production of full length transcripts, indicating the accumulation of stalled Pol2. DIVAC-induced stalling is weakly associated with an increase in the detection of single-stranded DNA bubbles in the mutating target gene. We did not find evidence for anti-sense transcription or an association of H3K27ac with DIVAC activity in the mutating gene. These findings argue for a connection between Pol2 stalling and cis-acting targeting elements in the context of SHM and thus define a mechanistic basis for locus-specific targeting of SHM in the genome. Our results suggest that DIVACs make the target gene a suitable platform for AID-mediated mutation without the need for increasing transcriptional output.
2021-10-22 | GSE180176 | GEO
Project description:The activation induced cytosine deaminase (AID) mediates diversification of B cell immunoglobulin genes by the three distinct yet related processes of somatic hypermutation (SHM), class switch recombination (CSR), and gene conversion (GCV). SHM occurs in germinal center B cells, and the transcription factor Bcl6 is a key regulator of the germinal center B cell gene expression program, including expression of AID. To test the hypothesis that Bcl6 function is important for the process of SHM, we compared WT chicken DT40 B cells, which constitutively perform SHM/GCV, to their Bcl6-deficient counterparts. We found that Bcl6-deficient DT40 cells were unable to perform SHM and GCV despite enforced high level expression of AID and substantial levels of AID in the nucleus of the cells. To gain mechanistic insight into the GCV/SHM dependency on Bcl6, transcriptional features of a highly expressed SHM target gene were analyzed in Bcl6-sufficient and -deficient DT40 cells. No defect was observed in the accumulation of single stranded DNA in the target gene as a result of Bcl6 deficiency. In contrast, association of Spt5, an RNA polymerase II (Pol II) and AID binding factor, was strongly reduced at the target gene body relative to the transcription start site in Bcl6-deficient cells as compared to WT cells. However, partial reconstitution of Bcl6 function substantially reconstituted Spt5 association with the target gene body but did not restore detectable SHM. Our observations suggest that in the absence of Bcl6, Spt5 fails to associate efficiently with Pol II at SHM targets, perhaps precluding robust AID action on the SHM target DNA. Our data also suggest, however, that Spt5 binding is not sufficient for SHM of a target gene even in DT40 cells with strong expression of AID.
2016-02-21 | GSE77141 | GEO