High Expression of Activation-Induced Cytidine Deaminase and in Vivo Class Switch Recombination in Mantle Cell Lymphoma: Further Support for Antigen Involvement in Lymphomagenesis

Blood ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 120 (21) ◽  
pp. 1538-1538
Author(s):  
Aliki Xochelli ◽  
Fotini Marantidou ◽  
Evangelia Stalika ◽  
Lesley-Ann Sutton ◽  
Alba Navarro ◽  
...  

Abstract Abstract 1538 According to the WHO 2008 Classification, the cellular origin of mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is traced to a peripheral B cell of the inner mantle zone, mostly of naïve pre-germinal center type. This notion, however, is seriously challenged by both the remarkable restrictions of the immunoglobulin gene repertoire in MCL and, furthermore, by the fact that the great majority of cases exhibit imprints of somatic hypermutation (SHM) in rearranged IGHV genes, ranging from (mostly) minimal to pronounced. These findings support an antigen-driven origin for MCL, at least for a substantial fraction of the entire cohort. Activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID) is induced in B cells following contact with antigen and is critically implicated in both somatic hypermutation (SHM) and class switch recombination (CSR). Although the available information about AID expression and in vivo CSR in MCL is limited and contradictory, at least some MCL cases have been reported to express AID and undergo ongoing CSR. With this in mind, here we investigated AID-mRNA isoform expression and isotype switch events in a large series of MCL cases and explored possible associations with IGHV gene repertoire and SHM status. Overall, 107 cases were included in the study and tumor-involved diagnostic tissue samples of different types were evaluated, including: fresh-frozen lymph nodes (LN, n=53), peripheral blood (PB, n=42), spleen (n=5), bone marrow biopsies (n=3) and other (n=4). The neoplastic lymphocytic infiltration ranged from 52–98% (median 80%). Thirty-five of 107 cases (32.7%) carried IGHV genes with 100% identity to the germline (GI) whereas the remaining 72 cases bore some imprint of SHM: in particular, 48/107 cases (44.9%) carried IGHV genes with 97–99.9% GI and, finally, 24/107 cases (22.4%) carried IGHV genes with <97% GI. In keeping with the literature, the IGHV gene repertoire of the present cohort was remarkably biased, with the IGHV3–21, IGHV4–34, IGHV3–23 and IGHV1–8 genes accounting for 55.1% of cases. Profiling of AID mRNA expression was performed by RQ-PCR for the full-length AID (AID-FL) as well as the most frequent splice variants, namely AID-ΔE4a (lacking the first 30 nucleotides from exon 4), and AID-ΔE4 (loss of the entire exon 4). AID transcript levels were calculated as the percentage of AID copy number divided by the copy number of the reference transcript (c-ABL). AID-FL transcripts were detected in 104/107 (97%) cases whereas the AID-ΔE4a and AID-ΔE4 splice variants were detected in 72/107 (67.3%) and 107/107 cases (100%), respectively. The median values for AID-FL, AID-ΔE4a and AID-ΔE4 transcripts were 4.45%, 0.133% and 0.918%, respectively. AID transcript levels varied between different cases by up to 5-log for AID-FL transcripts and 4-log for splice variants. Not unexpectedly, the median transcript levels in LN samples were higher (up to 1-log) compared to PB samples. A highly significant (p<0.001) association was noted between medium-to-high AID-FL transcript levels (AID-FL/ABL○1%) and IGHV GI 100%. Given the difference in tissue origin of our samples, we also performed a separate analysis for LN samples only and found that cases with 100% IGHV GI expressed high AID-FL transcript levels (AID-FL/ABL○10%) significantly (p=0.04) more frequently than cases carrying mutated IGHV genes. Isotype switch events were investigated in 41 cases: overall, 4 cases (9.7%), all with GI<100%, carried alternative tumor-derived Cγ (n=1) or Cα (n=3) transcripts. In conclusion, the present analysis documents AID expression in the vast majority of MCL, thus corroborating our previous hypothesis for antigen involvement in MCL ontogeny. Ongoing CSR events appear to be a feature of MCL, further supporting an activated status, at least for subset of cases. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

2009 ◽  
Vol 206 (5) ◽  
pp. 1057-1071 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hong Ming Shen ◽  
Michael G. Poirier ◽  
Michael J. Allen ◽  
Justin North ◽  
Ratnesh Lal ◽  
...  

The activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID) initiates somatic hypermutation, class-switch recombination, and gene conversion of immunoglobulin genes. In vitro, AID has been shown to target single-stranded DNA, relaxed double-stranded DNA, when transcribed, or supercoiled DNA. To simulate the in vivo situation more closely, we have introduced two copies of a nucleosome positioning sequence, MP2, into a supercoiled AID target plasmid to determine where around the positioned nucleosomes (in the vicinity of an ampicillin resistance gene) cytidine deaminations occur in the absence or presence of transcription. We found that without transcription nucleosomes prevented cytidine deamination by AID. However, with transcription AID readily accessed DNA in nucleosomes on both DNA strands. The experiments also showed that AID targeting any DNA molecule was the limiting step, and they support the conclusion that once targeted to DNA, AID acts processively in naked DNA and DNA organized within transcribed nucleosomes.


2006 ◽  
Vol 203 (1) ◽  
pp. 99-110 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qiang Pan-Hammarström ◽  
Aleksi Lähdesmäki ◽  
Yaofeng Zhao ◽  
Likun Du ◽  
Zhihui Zhao ◽  
...  

Class switch recombination (CSR) and somatic hypermutation (SHM) are mechanistically related processes initiated by activation-induced cytidine deaminase. Here, we have studied the role of ataxia telangiectasia and Rad3-related protein (ATR) in CSR by analyzing the recombinational junctions, resulting from in vivo switching, in cells from patients with mutations in the ATR gene. The proportion of cells that have switched to immunoglobulin (Ig)A and IgG in the peripheral blood seems to be normal in ATR-deficient (ATRD) patients and the recombined S regions show a normal “blunt end-joining,” but impaired end joining with partially complementary (1–3 bp) DNA ends. There was also an increased usage of microhomology at the μ-α switch junctions, but only up to 9 bp, suggesting that the end-joining pathway requiring longer microhomologies (≥10 bp) may be ATR dependent. The SHM pattern in the Ig variable heavy chain genes is altered, with fewer mutations occurring at A and more mutations at T residues and thus a loss of strand bias in targeting A/T pairs within certain hotspots. These data suggest that the role of ATR is partially overlapping with that of ataxia telangiectasia–mutated protein, but that the former is also endowed with unique functional properties in the repair processes during CSR and SHM.


Blood ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 103 (7) ◽  
pp. 2795-2798 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gavin Babbage ◽  
Richard Garand ◽  
Nelly Robillard ◽  
Niklas Zojer ◽  
Freda K. Stevenson ◽  
...  

Abstract Isotype switch commonly follows onset of somatic hypermutation in the germinal center (GC), with activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID) as a prerequisite. Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) with t(11;14) includes a subset with unmutated (UM) and a minor subset with mutated (MUT) VH genes. Here, we investigated whether switch events and AID expression occur in MCL. In 4 of 6 UM and 4 of 7 MUT MCLs, alternative tumor-derived Cγ,α,ϵ transcripts were identified. AID transcripts, including a splice variant, were common to both subsets. AID expression correlated with switch in 8 of 8 cases, but in 3 of 5 cases it occurred with switch absent. Circle transcripts (Iγ-Cμ/Iα-Cμ) were identified in 5 of 7 evaluated cases. In 1 of 12 cases, 12% of tumor cells expressed immunoglobulin L-restricted surface IgA. Ongoing switch recombination events appear to be a feature of MCL, likely restricted to a minor tumor subpopulation, with occasional variant sIg expression. UM MCLs implicate origins from pre-GC B cells and reveal switch events at ectopic sites. (Blood. 2004;103:2795-2798)


2008 ◽  
Vol 205 (11) ◽  
pp. 2585-2594 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin M. McBride ◽  
Anna Gazumyan ◽  
Eileen M. Woo ◽  
Tanja A. Schwickert ◽  
Brian T. Chait ◽  
...  

Activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID) is a mutator enzyme that initiates somatic mutation and class switch recombination in B lymphocytes by introducing uracil:guanine mismatches into DNA. Repair pathways process these mismatches to produce point mutations in the Ig variable region or double-stranded DNA breaks in the switch region DNA. However, AID can also produce off-target DNA damage, including mutations in oncogenes. Therefore, stringent regulation of AID is required for maintaining genomic stability during maturation of the antibody response. It has been proposed that AID phosphorylation at serine 38 (S38) regulates its activity, but this has not been tested in vivo. Using a combination of mass spectrometry and immunochemical approaches, we found that in addition to S38, AID is also phosphorylated at position threonine 140 (T140). Mutation of either S38 or T140 to alanine does not impact catalytic activity, but interferes with class switching and somatic hypermutation in vivo. This effect is particularly pronounced in haploinsufficient mice where AID levels are limited. Although S38 is equally important for both processes, T140 phosphorylation preferentially affects somatic mutation, suggesting that posttranslational modification might contribute to the choice between hypermutation and class switching.


Blood ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 104 (11) ◽  
pp. 1359-1359
Author(s):  
Jitra Kriangkum ◽  
Brian J. Taylor ◽  
Erin R. Strachan ◽  
Steven P. Treon ◽  
Michael J. Mant ◽  
...  

Abstract Clonotypic B cells of Waldenstrom’s macroglobulinemia (WM) are characterized as CD20+IgM+IgD+ cells that are usually somatically mutated in IgH VDJ but for some patients, the clonotypic IgH VDJ is germline (unmutated).For both mutated and unmutated clones, WM lack ongoing somatic hypermutation (SHM) and class switch recombination (CSR). This may be due to abnormalities in switching and/or mutator genes. To understand the nature of unswitched tumor B cells, uracil DNA glycosylase (UDG) and activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID), the two essential elements for CSR, were analysed in WM. Analysis of 12 WM clones characterized by somatic hypermutation showed that the mutation profile of VH genes had normal transition/transversion ratios at C or G, and thus did not suggest UDG abnormalities. Expression of AID was determined by single stage RT-PCR. Out of 14 patients studied (2 unmutated and 12 mutated VH clones), two of them (WM1-01 and WM1-08,with mutation rates of 0% and 6.2% respectively) gave positive bands. In WM1-01, despite having a germline IgH VDJ, AID is consistently expressed in two bone marrow samples collected three years apart and from which the identical unmutated clonotypic VDJ sequence was isolated. Full-length (FL) AID transcripts of WM have a conserved sequence, thus ruling out the possibility of functional defects due to point mutation. In addition, detection of AID in an unmutated VH clone suggested that lack of SHM does not result from an inability to produce AID. In addition to FL transcripts, three other splice variants were identified in both patients. Single cell analysis indicated that only a small compartment (10% or less), not all, of clonotypic B cells expressed AID, and multiple isoforms may be detectable in individual cells. Whether these splice variants that contain truncated C-terminal ends play a role in the regulation of CSR in WM remains to be investigated. Splice variants, nevertheless, may not characterize tumor B cells since up to 10% of AID-expressing normal activated B cells (n=3) also carried them. In vitro activation of clonotypic WM B cells by CD40L and IL4, using conditions that induced CSR in normal B cells, did not yield detectable class switching in WM B cells. In cultures of B cells from WM, the number of non-clonal B cells increased but the clonotypic B cells did not appear to expand, as indicated by the reduction of clonotypic IgM transcript at 5-days of culture. Thus, as well as failing to undergo somatic mutation or class switching, WM tumor B cells appear unresponsive to CD40L+IL4. They may be fundamentally unresponsive to signals for class switching and their clonal expansion may depend upon alternate signaling pathways.


2008 ◽  
Vol 364 (1517) ◽  
pp. 667-673 ◽  
Author(s):  
Uttiya Basu ◽  
Andrew Franklin ◽  
Frederick W Alt

The assembled immunoglobulin genes in the B cells of mice and humans are altered by distinct processes known as class switch recombination (CSR) and somatic hypermutation, leading to diversification of the antibody repertoire. These two DNA modification processes are initiated by the B cell-specific protein factor activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID). AID is post-translationally modified by phosphorylation at multiple sites, although functional significance during CSR has been implicated only for phosphorylation at serine-38 (S38). Although multiple laboratories have demonstrated that AID function is regulated via phosphorylation at S38, the precise biological role of S38 phosphorylation has been a topic of debate. Here, we discuss our interpretation of the significance of AID regulation via phosphorylation and also discuss how this form of AID regulation may have evolved in higher organisms.


Blood ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 114 (22) ◽  
pp. 1933-1933 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anastasia Hadzidimitriou ◽  
Andreas Agathagelidis ◽  
Fiona Murray ◽  
Marie-Helene Delfau-Larue ◽  
Nikos Darzentas ◽  
...  

Abstract Abstract 1933 Poster Board I-956 According to the 2008 WHO Classification, mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) most likely derives from neoplastic transformation of a peripheral B cell of the inner mantle zone, mostly of naïve pre-germinal center type. Analysis of the immunoglobulin (IG) repertoire in MCL has revealed a bias in IG heavy variable (IGHV) gene usage and a predominance of unmutated rearrangements, with a variable minor proportion of cases carrying mutated IGHV genes (according to the 98% identity cutoff). However, limited knowledge exists regarding antigen-binding site sequence restrictions or specific somatic hypermutation (SHM) patterns in MCL. We examined the productive IGHV-D-J rearrangements of 651 MCL cases (including 398 cases from the European MCL Network), the largest series to date. We confirm and significantly extend previous observations that the IGHV gene repertoire is remarkably biased, with only three genes accounting for 40.3% of cases (IGHV3-21, 16.7%; IGHV4-34, 15.3%; IGHV1-8: 8.3%). Using bioinformatics approaches previously applied to CLL, biased associations of certain IGHV, IGHD and IGHJ genes with restricted (stereotyped) heavy complementarity-determining regions (HCDR3s) were identified in 68/651 cases (10.4%). Overall, 24 subsets of cases with stereotyped HCDR3s were recognized. Eight of 24 subsets included 3-7 cases each (“confirmed”), while the remaining 16 subsets included two cases each and were considered “provisional”. Stereotyped HCDR3s were found predominantly amongst rearrangements utilizing the IGHV3-21 and IGHV4-34 genes and the IGHJ6 gene. Notably, the MCL HCDR3 stereotypes identified here were distinct from those previously reported in CLL. Based on SHM analysis, the sequences were divided into three groups: (i) truly unmutated (100% germline identity, GI): 189/651 sequences (29.2%); (ii) minimally/borderline mutated (98-99.9% GI): 306/651 sequences (47%); and (iii) mutated (<98% GI): 155/651 sequences (23.8%), of which 93 had a GI<97%. In keeping with previous reports, the IGHV gene repertoire of the three identity groups differed considerably. For instance, the IGHV3-21 gene was used by 7% of rearrangements with <98% identity vs. 22.8% of rearrangements with 100% identity. In contrast, the IGHV3-23 gene was over-represented among mutated rearrangements (26.4%). Shared (“stereotyped”) amino acid (AA) changes across the entire IGHV gene sequence were identified for certain groups of sequences, especially those utilizing the IGHV1-8, IGHV3-21 and IGHV3-23 genes. A comparison to published series from other entities, in particular CLL, revealed that several stereotyped mutations identified in MCL were “disease-biased”. Importantly, stereotyped AA changes were also observed in the borderline or minimally mutated groups, indicating that even a low level of mutations may be functionally relevant. In conclusion, MCL is characterized by a highly distinctive IG gene repertoire with restricted HCDR3s and very precisely targeted and, probably, functionally driven SHM, strongly implying a role for antigen-driven selection of the clonogenic progenitors. Based on the evidence presented here, an antigen-driven origin of MCL could be envisaged, at least for subsets of cases. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


2004 ◽  
Vol 200 (1) ◽  
pp. 61-68 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stella A. Martomo ◽  
William W. Yang ◽  
Patricia J. Gearhart

Somatic hypermutation is initiated by activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID), and occurs in several kilobases of DNA around rearranged immunoglobulin variable (V) genes and switch (S) sites before constant genes. AID deaminates cytosine to uracil, which can produce mutations of C:G nucleotide pairs, and the mismatch repair protein Msh2 participates in generating substitutions of downstream A:T pairs. Msh2 is always found as a heterodimer with either Msh3 or Msh6, so it is important to know which one is involved. Therefore, we sequenced V and S regions from Msh3- and Msh6-deficient mice and compared mutations to those from wild-type mice. Msh6-deficient mice had fewer substitutions of A and T bases in both regions and reduced heavy chain class switching, whereas Msh3-deficient mice had normal antibody responses. This establishes a role for the Msh2-Msh6 heterodimer in hypermutation and switch recombination. When the positions of mutation were mapped, several focused peaks were found in Msh6−/− clones, whereas mutations were dispersed in Msh3−/− and wild-type clones. The peaks occurred at either G or C in WGCW motifs (W = A or T), indicating that C was mutated on both DNA strands. This suggests that AID has limited entry points into V and S regions in vivo, and subsequent mutation requires Msh2-Msh6 and DNA polymerase.


2006 ◽  
Vol 26 (11) ◽  
pp. 4378-4385 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eva Besmer ◽  
Eleonora Market ◽  
F. Nina Papavasiliou

ABSTRACT Activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID) is a single-stranded DNA deaminase required for somatic hypermutation of immunoglobulin (Ig) genes, a key process in the development of adaptive immunity. Transcription provides a single-stranded DNA substrate for AID, both in vivo and in vitro. We present here an assay which can faithfully replicate all of the molecular features of the initiation of hypermutation of Ig genes in vivo. In this assay, which detects AID-mediated deamination in the context of transcription by Escherichia coli RNA polymerase, deamination targets either strand and declines in efficiency as the distance from the promoter increases. We show that AID binds DNA exposed by the transcribing polymerase, implicating the polymerase itself as the vehicle which distributes AID on DNA as it moves away from the promoter.


2007 ◽  
Vol 204 (8) ◽  
pp. 1989-1998 ◽  
Author(s):  
Petra Langerak ◽  
Anders O.H. Nygren ◽  
Peter H.L. Krijger ◽  
Paul C.M. van den Berk ◽  
Heinz Jacobs

B cells use translesion DNA synthesis (TLS) to introduce somatic mutations around genetic lesions caused by activation-induced cytidine deaminase. Monoubiquitination at lysine164 of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNAK164) stimulates TLS. To determine the role of PCNAK164 modifications in somatic hypermutation, PCNAK164R knock-in mice were generated. PCNAK164R/K164R mutants are born at a sub-Mendelian frequency. Although PCNAK164R/K164R B cells proliferate and class switch normally, the mutation spectrum of hypermutated immunoglobulin (Ig) genes alters dramatically. A strong reduction of mutations at template A/T is associated with a compensatory increase at G/C, which is a phenotype similar to polymerase η (Polη) and mismatch repair–deficient B cells. Mismatch recognition, monoubiquitinated PCNA, and Polη likely cooperate in establishing mutations at template A/T during replication of Ig genes.


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