ABSTRACT: Allele specific analysis of the immunoglobulin heavy chain locus by simultaneous analysis of the productive and the non-productive allele through paired-end 4C sequencing analysis in mature B cells
Project description:In developing B cells the immunoglobulin heavy chain (IgH) locus is thought to move from repressive to permissive chromatin compartments to facilitate its scheduled rearrangement. In mature B cells, maintenance of allelic exclusion has been proposed to involve recruitment of the non-productive IgH allele to pericentromeric heterochromatin. Here we used an allele-specific chromosome conformation capture combined with sequencing (4C-seq) approach to unambigously follow the individual IgH alleles in mature B lymphocytes. Despite their physical and functional difference, productive and non-productive IgH alleles in B cells and unrearranged IgH alleles in T cells share many chromosomal contacts and largely reside in active chromatin. In brain, however, the locus resides in a different, repressive environment. We conclude that IgH adopts a lymphoid-specific nuclear location that is however unrelated to maintenance of allelic exclusion. We additionally find that in mature B cells - but not in T cells – the distal VH regions of both IgH alleles position themselves away from active chromatin. This, we speculate, may help to restrict enhancer activity to the productively rearranged VH promoter element. Allele specific analysis of the nuclear organization of the IgH locus in resting and activated B cells and T cells and fetal brain cells
Project description:In developing B cells the immunoglobulin heavy chain (IgH) locus is thought to move from repressive to permissive chromatin compartments to facilitate its scheduled rearrangement. In mature B cells, maintenance of allelic exclusion has been proposed to involve recruitment of the non-productive IgH allele to pericentromeric heterochromatin. Here we used an allele-specific chromosome conformation capture combined with sequencing (4C-seq) approach to unambigously follow the individual IgH alleles in mature B lymphocytes. Despite their physical and functional difference, productive and non-productive IgH alleles in B cells and unrearranged IgH alleles in T cells share many chromosomal contacts and largely reside in active chromatin. In brain, however, the locus resides in a different, repressive environment. We conclude that IgH adopts a lymphoid-specific nuclear location that is however unrelated to maintenance of allelic exclusion. We additionally find that in mature B cells - but not in T cells – the distal VH regions of both IgH alleles position themselves away from active chromatin. This, we speculate, may help to restrict enhancer activity to the productively rearranged VH promoter element.
Project description:Lyme disease (Borrelia burgdorferi infection) is increasingly recognized as a significant source of morbidity world-wide. Here, we investigated B cell responses to Lyme disease through molecular identifier-enabled antibody heavy chain sequencing of bulk B cells from PBMCs. Single-cell immunoglobulin sequencing of paired heavy- and light-chain genes from this project will also be separately deposited. Additional information regarding patient characteristics and overlap with other data from the SLICE study is available upon request.
2018-12-21 | GSE113938 | GEO
Project description:Paired Heavy and Light Chain Immunoglobulin Reconstruction in Single-Cell RNA-Seq Data
Project description:Productive rearrangement of the immunoglobulin heavy chain locus triggers a major developmental checkpoint that promotes limited clonal expansion of pre-B cells, culminating in cell cycle arrest and rearrangement of the kappa (κ) or lambda (λ) light-chain loci. B lineage cells lacking the related transcription factors IRF-4 and IRF-8 undergo a developmental arrest at the cycling pre-B cell stage and are blocked for light-chain recombination. Using Irf-4,8-/- pre-B cells we demonstrate that two pathways converge to synergistically drive light-chain rearrangement, a process that is not simply activated by cell cycle exit. One pathway is directly dependent on IRF-4, whose expression is elevated by pre-BCR signaling. IRF-4 targets the κ 3Ⲡand λ enhancers to increase locus accessibility and positions a kappa allele away from pericentromeric heterochromatin. The other pathway is triggered by attenuation of IL-7 signaling and results in activation of the κ intronic enhancer via binding of the transcription factor, E2A. Intriguingly, IRF-4 regulates the expression of CXCR4 and promotes the migration of pre-B cells in response to the chemokine CXCL12. We propose that IRF-4 coordinates the two pathways regulating light-chain recombination by positioning pre-B cells away from IL-7 expressing stromal cells. We used microarrys to identify the changes in gene expression under different levels of the cytokine IL-7 and after rescue of genetic defect. Experiment Overall Design: IRF4,8 null pre-B cells were cultures in the indicated conditions prior to RNA isolation and hybridization to Affymetrix arrays.
