Project description:The immunoglobulin heavy-chain (Igh) locus undergoes large-scale contraction in pro-B cells, which facilitates VH-DJH recombination by juxtaposing distal VH genes next to the DJH- rearranged gene segment in the proximal Igh domain. By high-resolution mapping of long-range interactions, we now demonstrate that an array of local interaction domains establishes the three- dimensional structure of the extended Igh locus in lymphoid progenitors and thymocytes. In pro- B cells, these local domains engage in long-range interactions across the entire Igh locus, which depend on the transcription factors Pax5, YY1 and CTCF. The large VH gene cluster thereby undergoes flexible long-range interactions with the more rigidly structured 3M-bM-^@M-^Y proximal domain, which ensures that all VH genes can participate with similar probability in VH-DJH recombination to generate a diverse antibody repertoire. Notably, these long-range interactions appear to be an intrinsic feature of the VH gene cluster, as they are still generated upon mutation of the EM-NM-< enhancer, IGCR1 insulator or 3M-bM-^@M-^Y regulatory region present in the 3M-bM-^@M-^Y proximal Igh domain. 4C sequencing from mutliple celltypes with multiple viewpoints; uneven number of replicates ChIP-Seq
Project description:The immunoglobulin heavy-chain (Igh) locus undergoes large-scale contraction in pro-B cells, which facilitates VH-DJH recombination by juxtaposing distal VH genes next to the DJH- rearranged gene segment in the proximal Igh domain. By high-resolution mapping of long-range interactions, we now demonstrate that an array of local interaction domains establishes the three- dimensional structure of the extended Igh locus in lymphoid progenitors and thymocytes. In pro- B cells, these local domains engage in long-range interactions across the entire Igh locus, which depend on the transcription factors Pax5, YY1 and CTCF. The large VH gene cluster thereby undergoes flexible long-range interactions with the more rigidly structured 3’ proximal domain, which ensures that all VH genes can participate with similar probability in VH-DJH recombination to generate a diverse antibody repertoire. Notably, these long-range interactions appear to be an intrinsic feature of the VH gene cluster, as they are still generated upon mutation of the Eμ enhancer, IGCR1 insulator or 3’ regulatory region present in the 3’ proximal Igh domain.
Project description:To produce a diverse antibody repertoire, immunoglobulin heavy-chain (Igh) loci undergo large-scale alterations in structure to facilitate juxtaposition and recombination of spatially separated variable (VH), diversity (DH), and joining (JH) genes. These chromosomal alterations are poorly understood. Uncovering their patterns shows how chromosome dynamics underpins antibody diversity. Using tiled Capture Hi-C, we produce a comprehensive map of chromatin interactions throughout the 2.8-Mb Igh locus in progenitor B cells. We find that the Igh locus folds into semi-rigid subdomains and undergoes flexible looping of the VH genes to its 3′ end, reconciling two views of locus organization. Deconvolution of single Igh locus conformations using polymer simulations identifies thousands of different structures. This heterogeneity may underpin the diversity of V(D)J recombination events. All three immunoglobulin loci also participate in a highly specific, developmentally regulated network of interchromosomal interactions with genes encoding B cell-lineage factors. This suggests a model of interchromosomal coordination of B cell development.
Project description:To produce a diverse antibody repertoire, immunoglobulin heavy-chain (Igh) loci undergo large-scale alterations in structure to facilitate juxtaposition and recombination of spatially separated variable (VH), diversity (DH), and joining (JH) genes. These chromosomal alterations are poorly understood. Uncovering their patterns shows how chromosome dynamics underpins antibody diversity. Using tiled Capture Hi-C, we produce a comprehensive map of chromatin interactions throughout the 2.8-Mb Igh locus in progenitor B cells. We find that the Igh locus folds into semi-rigid subdomains and undergoes flexible looping of the VH genes to its 3′ end, reconciling two views of locus organization. Deconvolution of single Igh locus conformations using polymer simulations identifies thousands of different structures. This heterogeneity may underpin the diversity of V(D)J recombination events. All three immunoglobulin loci also participate in a highly specific, developmentally regulated network of interchromosomal interactions with genes encoding B cell-lineage factors. This suggests a model of interchromosomal coordination of B cell development.
Project description:A diverse antibody repertoire is formed through the rearrangement of V, D, and J segments at the immunoglobulin heavy chain (Igh) loci. The C57BL/6 murine Igh locus has over 100 functional VH gene segments that can recombine to a rearranged DJH. While the non-random usage of VH genes is well documented, it is not clear what elements determine recombination frequency. To answer this question we conducted deep sequencing of 5M-bM-^@M-^Y-RACE products of the Igh repertoire in pro-B cells, amplified in an unbiased manner. ChIP-seq results for several histone modifications and RNA polymerase II binding, RNA-seq for sense and antisense non-coding germline transcripts, and proximity to CTCF and Rad21 sites were compared to the usage of individual V genes. Computational analyses assessed the relative importance of these various accessibility elements. These elements divide the Igh locus into four epigenetically and transcriptionally distinct domains, and our computational analyses reveal different regulatory mechanisms for each region. Proximal V genes are relatively devoid of active histone marks and non-coding RNA in general, but having a CTCF site near their RSS is critical, suggesting that position near the base of the chromatin loops is important for rearrangement. In contrast, distal V genes have high levels of histone marks and non-coding RNA, which may compensate for their poorer RSS and for being distant from CTCF sites. Thus, the Igh locus has evolved a complex system for the regulation of V(D)J rearrangement that is different for of each the four domains that comprise this locus. For the ChIP-seq, input and immunoprecipitated DNA was given to The Scripps DNA Array Facility, where it was prepared for massively parallel sequencing on Illumina HiSeq2000.
Project description:Generation of the primary antibody repertoire requires V(D)J recombination of hundreds of gene segments in the immunoglobulin heavy chain (Igh) locus. It has been proposed that interleukin-7 receptor (IL-7R) signalling is necessary for Igh recombination, but this has been challenging to partition from the receptor’s role in B cell survival and proliferation. By generating the first detailed description of the Igh repertoire of murine IL-7Ra-/- bone marrow B cells, we demonstrate that IL-7R signalling profoundly influences VH gene selection during VH-to-DJH recombination. We find skewing towards usage of 3’ VH genes during de novo VH-to-DJH recombination that is more severe than the fetal liver (FL) B cell repertoire, and we now show a role for IL-7R signalling in DH-to-JH recombination. Transcriptome and accessibility analyses suggests reduced expression of B lineage-specific transcription factors (TFs) and their targets, and loss of DH and VH antisense transcription in IL-7Rα-/- B cells. These results refute models suggesting that IL-7R signalling is only required for survival and proliferation, and demonstrate a pivotal role in shaping the Igh repertoire by activating underpinning epigenetic mechanisms.
Project description:A diverse antibody repertoire is formed through the rearrangement of V, D, and J segments at the immunoglobulin heavy chain (Igh) loci. The C57BL/6 murine Igh locus has over 100 functional VH gene segments that can recombine to a rearranged DJH. While the non-random usage of VH genes is well documented, it is not clear what elements determine recombination frequency. To answer this question we conducted deep sequencing of 5M-bM-^@M-^Y-RACE products of the Igh repertoire in pro-B cells, amplified in an unbiased manner. ChIP-seq results for several histone modifications and RNA polymerase II binding, RNA-seq for sense and antisense non-coding germline transcripts, and proximity to CTCF and Rad21 sites were compared to the usage of individual V genes. Computational analyses assessed the relative importance of these various accessibility elements. These elements divide the Igh locus into four epigenetically and transcriptionally distinct domains, and our computational analyses reveal different regulatory mechanisms for each region. Proximal V genes are relatively devoid of active histone marks and non-coding RNA in general, but having a CTCF site near their RSS is critical, suggesting that position near the base of the chromatin loops is important for rearrangement. In contrast, distal V genes have high levels of histone marks and non-coding RNA, which may compensate for their poorer RSS and for being distant from CTCF sites. Thus, the Igh locus has evolved a complex system for the regulation of V(D)J rearrangement that is different for of each the four domains that comprise this locus. RNA was extracted from C57BL/6 RAG-/- pro-B cells using TrizolM-BM-. (Life Technologies Corp., Carlsbad CA) and genomic DNA was eliminated using the genomic DNA wipeout buffer in the QuantiTect Reverse transcription kit (QIAGEN). A final purification of the RNA was performed with the RNeasy kit from QIAGEN. For each sample, 100 ng of total RNA was used to make RNASeq libraries using the NuGEN Encore Complete DR kits following manufacturer's recommended protocols. Sequencing libraries were gel purified to ensure insert sizes were larger than 100 bp in length and sequenced on an Ilumina HiSeq2000 for 100 bases plus 7 bases for indexing.
Project description:A diverse antibody repertoire is formed through the rearrangement of V, D, and J segments at the immunoglobulin heavy chain (Igh) loci. The C57BL/6 murine Igh locus has over 100 functional VH gene segments that can recombine to a rearranged DJH. While the non-random usage of VH genes is well documented, it is not clear what elements determine recombination frequency. To answer this question we conducted deep sequencing of 5’-RACE products of the Igh repertoire in pro-B cells, amplified in an unbiased manner. ChIP-seq results for several histone modifications and RNA polymerase II binding, RNA-seq for sense and antisense non-coding germline transcripts, and proximity to CTCF and Rad21 sites were compared to the usage of individual V genes. Computational analyses assessed the relative importance of these various accessibility elements. These elements divide the Igh locus into four epigenetically and transcriptionally distinct domains, and our computational analyses reveal different regulatory mechanisms for each region. Proximal V genes are relatively devoid of active histone marks and non-coding RNA in general, but having a CTCF site near their RSS is critical, suggesting that position near the base of the chromatin loops is important for rearrangement. In contrast, distal V genes have high levels of histone marks and non-coding RNA, which may compensate for their poorer RSS and for being distant from CTCF sites. Thus, the Igh locus has evolved a complex system for the regulation of V(D)J rearrangement that is different for of each the four domains that comprise this locus.
Project description:A diverse antibody repertoire is formed through the rearrangement of V, D, and J segments at the immunoglobulin heavy chain (Igh) loci. The C57BL/6 murine Igh locus has over 100 functional VH gene segments that can recombine to a rearranged DJH. While the non-random usage of VH genes is well documented, it is not clear what elements determine recombination frequency. To answer this question we conducted deep sequencing of 5’-RACE products of the Igh repertoire in pro-B cells, amplified in an unbiased manner. ChIP-seq results for several histone modifications and RNA polymerase II binding, RNA-seq for sense and antisense non-coding germline transcripts, and proximity to CTCF and Rad21 sites were compared to the usage of individual V genes. Computational analyses assessed the relative importance of these various accessibility elements. These elements divide the Igh locus into four epigenetically and transcriptionally distinct domains, and our computational analyses reveal different regulatory mechanisms for each region. Proximal V genes are relatively devoid of active histone marks and non-coding RNA in general, but having a CTCF site near their RSS is critical, suggesting that position near the base of the chromatin loops is important for rearrangement. In contrast, distal V genes have high levels of histone marks and non-coding RNA, which may compensate for their poorer RSS and for being distant from CTCF sites. Thus, the Igh locus has evolved a complex system for the regulation of V(D)J rearrangement that is different for of each the four domains that comprise this locus.
Project description:B cell receptors (BCRs) display a combination of variable (V) gene-encoded complementarity determining regions (CDRs) and adaptive/hypervariable CDR3 loops to engage antigens. It has long been proposed that the former naturally tune for recognition of pathogens or groups of pathogens. To mechanistically evaluate this within the human antibody repertoire, we performed immune challenges in transgenic mice bearing diverse human CDR3 and light chains, but were constrained to different human VH genes. We found that out of six commonly deployed VH sequences, only those CDRs encoded by IGHV1-2*02 enabled polyclonal antibody responses against bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) when introduced to the bloodstream. LPS was prepared from diverse strains of gram-negative bacteria, and the VH gene-dependent responses were directed against the non-variable and universal saccrolipid substructure of this antigen. This reveals a broad-spectrum anti-LPS response in which germline-encoded CDRs naturally hardwire the human antibody repertoire for recognition of a conserved microbial target.