Immunoglobulin heavy chain variable region gene replacement As a mechanism for receptor revision in rheumatoid arthritis synovial tissue B lymphocytes.

ABSTRACT: Mature B cells can alter their antibody repertoires by several mechanisms, including immunoglobulin heavy chain variable region (V(H)) replacement. This process changes the antigen combining site by replacing a portion of the original V(H)/diversity/heavy chain joining region (V(H)DJ(H)) rearrangement with a corresponding portion of a new V(H) segment. This exchange can involve cryptic heptamer-like sequences embedded in the coding regions of V(H) genes. While studying the B lymphocytes that expand in the synovial tissues of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), clones with V(H)DJ(H) variants that were apparently generated by V(H) replacement were identified with surprising frequency (approximately 8%). Examples of multiple independent V(H) replacement events occurring in distinct proge

SUBMITTER: Itoh K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2195868 | biostudies-literature | 2000 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature