RAG: a recombinase diversified

• Published in: Nature immunology Vol. 10; no. 8; pp. 817 - 821
• Main Authors: Matthews, Adam G W, Oettinger, Marjorie A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Nature Publishing Group US 01.08.2009; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: Animals; B-Lymphocytes - immunology; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Cell differentiation; Cell receptors; Chromatin - metabolism; Clonal selection theory; Deoxyribonucleic acid; DNA; DNA Damage - immunology; DNA Repair - immunology; DNA-Binding Proteins - immunology; Enzymatic activity; Gene Rearrangement - immunology; Genetic aspects; Histones - metabolism; Homeodomain Proteins - immunology; Humans; Immunology; Infectious Diseases; Lymphocytes; Models, Biological; Nuclear Proteins - immunology; perspective; Physiological aspects; Protein Binding; Recombination, Genetic; VDJ Recombinases - immunology; United States
• ISSN: 1529-2908; 1529-2916
• DOI: 10.1038/ni.1776

During B cell and T cell development, the lymphoid-specific proteins RAG-1 and RAG-2 act together to initiate the assembly of antigen receptor genes through a series of site-specific somatic DNA rearrangements that are collectively called variable-diversity-joining (V(D)J) recombination. In the past 20 years, a great deal has been learned about the enzymatic activities of the RAG-1–RAG-2 complex. Recent studies have identified several new and exciting regulatory functions of the RAG-1–RAG-2 complex. Here we discuss some of these functions and suggest that the RAG-1–RAG-2 complex nucleates a specialized subnuclear compartment that we call the 'V(D)J recombination factory'.