Lecture 19 Flashcards
Variable Domains Provide:
Antigen binding
- varying binding site changes antigen binding profile
Constant Domains Provide:
- Docking site for effector proteins
- Extended presentation of V domains
Ab secretion
IgA alpha C-Domain
Parasite Attack
IgE epsilon C-Domain
Placental X-ing
IgG gamma C-Domain
BCRs and TCRs
- > 107 B- and T- Cells
- Immunorepertoire >106 B- and T- Cells
** each B- and T- cell expresses 100,000 copies **
Germ Line Theory
- An early hypothesis
- Each antibody (BCR) is encoded by a gene
ONE GENE = ONE PROTEIN
10^6 distinct BCR/antibodies
– 3,000 nucleotides in an individual Ab coding sequence
BCR A.A Sequencing
- Multitude of V domain sequences
- Conserved C domain sequences
- molecular shuffling
Transposons ‘jumping’ genes
- 1948; corn DNA
- DNA segments ‘cut-n-pasted’
- DNA segments ‘copied-n-pasted’
Generally in NON-CODING regions
DNA Recombination
Potential mechanism for generation antibody diversity
Somatic Cell Recombination
1965; Dreyer and Bennett
1. Heavy chains and light chains on separate genes
2. V- and C- regions DNA`= recombined in B-Cells; V-C gene
Susumu Tonegawa
- Isolate DNA
- Cut DNA at specific sites
- Segregate cut DNA by size
- Blot DNA onto nitrocellulose paper
DNA Migration: Germline
Constant and Variable on different restriction fragments
DNA Migration: Plasma Cells
Constant and Variable on the same restriction fragments
Immature B-Cell
- DNA Recombination: V Domain
- Lymphoid Organ: Bone Marrow
Activated B-Cell
- Somatic Hypermutation: V Domain
- Ig Class Switching: C Domain
- Lymphoid Organ: Germinal Centers
Variable Domains
Coded by V-, J-, and D- segments
Human VkJkCk Genes
- 34-48 functional variable genes
- 7 functional joining regions
Human VIJICI Genes
- 33 function VI regions
- 7 pre-assigned JICI regions
- J and C regions recombine
- recombination only downstream
Human V-D-J-C Genes
- > 38 functional VH regions
- 23 functional D regions
- 6 functional J regions
- 8 functional C regions
- Antibody class
- effector functions
Recombination Signal Sequences
Conserved DNA sequence motifs that enzymes use to target sites of DNA recombination
RSS Conserved
- Heptamer (size and sequence)
- 23bp/12 bp sizes
- nonamer
RSS Less Conserved
23 bp/ 12 bp spacer sequences