RAG endonuclease initiates IgH V(D)J recombination in pro-B cells by binding a J H -recombination signal sequence (RSS) within a recombination center (RC) and then linearly scanning upstream chromatin, presented by cohesin-mediated loop extrusion, for convergent D-RSSs 1 , 2 . Utilization of convergently-oriented RSSs and cryptic RSSs is intrinsic to long-range RAG scanning 3 . RAG scanning from the DJ H -RC-RSS to upstream convergent V H -RSSs is impeded by D-proximal CTCF-binding elements (CBEs) 2 – 5 . Primary pro-B cells undergo a mechanistically-undefined V H locus contraction proposed to provide distal V H s access to the DJ H -RC 6 – 9 . Here, we report that a 2.4 mega-base V H locus inversion in primary pro-B cells abrogates rearrangement of both V H -RSSs and normally convergent cryptic RSSs, even though locus contraction still occurs. In addition, this inversion activated both utilization of cryptic V H -locus RSSs normally in opposite orientation and RAG scanning beyond the V H locus through multiple convergent-CBE domains to the telomere. Together, these findings imply that broad deregulation of CBE impediments in primary pro-B cells promotes loop extrusion-mediated RAG V H locus-scanning. We further found that expression of Wapl 10 , a cohesin-unloading factor, is low in primary pro-B cells versus v-Abl -transformed pro-B lines that lack contraction and RAG-scanning of the V H locus. Correspondingly, Wapl depletion in v-Abl -tranformed lines activated both processes, further implicating loop extrusion in the locus contraction mechanism.

Repair of a chromosomal double-strand break (DSB) by gene conversion depends on the ability of the broken ends to encounter a donor sequence. To understand how chromosomal location of a target sequence affects DSB repair, we took advantage of genome-wide Hi-C analysis of yeast chromosomes to create a series of strains in which an induced site-specific DSB in budding yeast is repaired by a 2-kb donor sequence inserted at different locations. The efficiency of repair, measured by cell viability or competition between each donor and a reference site, showed a strong correlation (r = 0.85 and 0.79) with the contact frequencies of each donor with the DSB repair site. Repair efficiency depends on the distance between donor and recipient rather than any intrinsic limitation of a particular donor site. These results further demonstrate that the search for homology is the rate-limiting step in DSB repair and suggest that cells often fail to repair a DSB because they cannot locate a donor before other, apparently lethal, processes arise. The repair efficiency of a donor locus can be improved by four factors: slower 5′ to 3′ resection of the DSB ends, increased abundance of replication protein factor A (RPA), longer shared homology, or presence of a recombination enhancer element adjacent to a donor.homologous recombination | double-strand break repair | chromosome conformation | homology search | donor location H omologous recombination is the predominant mechanism to repair chromosome breaks and preserve genome integrity. In eukaryotes, the broken double-strand break (DSB) ends undergo extensive 5′ to 3′ resection, promoting the binding of the Rad51 recombinase to form a nucleoprotein filament that can search the genome for a homologous sequence with which it can effect repair. Donor template sequences can be located on a sister chromatid, a homologous chromosome or an ectopic location. When ectopic sequences are used, repair results in nonallelic replacements of sequences. In budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae it is possible to monitor the sequence of DSB repair events in real time by Southern blots, PCR or chromatin immunoprecipitation (1).Haploid yeast chromosomes are arranged in a Rabl orientation, with the 16 centromeres all clustered at the spindle-pole body (SPB) whereas the telomeres are associated in loose clusters at the nuclear envelope (2). These observations have been extended by the use of chromosome conformation capture approaches (3, 4) to map the relative positions of loci along each chromosome based on their frequencies of crosslinking (contact frequencies) with many other sites in the genome. Previous studies have shown that telomere-associated sequences preferentially recombine with other telomere-associated loci whereas centromere-linked sites selectively recombine with other centromere-linked loci (5-7). However, such preferences, presumably caused by the constraints of tethering, may not reflect the general behavior of most sequences undergoing homologous recombination. It is not known how the ...

Recent high-resolution genome analyses of cancer and other diseases have revealed the occurrence of microhomology-mediated chromosome rearrangements and copy number changes. Although some of these rearrangements appear to involve nonhomologous end-joining, many must have involved mechanisms requiring new DNA synthesis. Models such as microhomology-mediated break-induced replication (MM-BIR) have been invoked to explain these rearrangements. We examined BIR and template switching between highly diverged sequences in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, induced during repair of a site-specific double-strand break (DSB). Our data show that such template switches are robust mechanisms that give rise to complex rearrangements. Template switches between highly divergent sequences appear to be mechanistically distinct from the initial strand invasions that establish BIR. In particular, such jumps are less constrained by sequence divergence and exhibit a different pattern of microhomology junctions. BIR traversing repeated DNA sequences frequently results in complex translocations analogous to those seen in mammalian cells. These results suggest that template switching among repeated genes is a potent driver of genome instability and evolution.

Classical nonhomologous DNA end-joining (C-NHEJ), which is a major DNA double-strand break (DSB) repair pathway in mammalian cells, plays a dominant role in joining DSBs during Ig heavy chain (IgH) class switch recombination (CSR) in activated B lymphocytes. However, in B cells deficient for one or more requisite C-NHEJ factors, such as DNA ligase 4 (Lig4) or XRCC4, end-joining during CSR occurs by a distinct alternative end-joining (A-EJ) pathway. A-EJ also has been implicated in joining DSBs found in oncogenic chromosomal translocations. DNA ligase 3 (Lig3) and its cofactor XRCC1 are widely considered to be requisite A-EJ factors, based on biochemical studies or extrachromosomal substrate end-joining studies. However, potential roles for these factors in A-EJ of endogenous chromosomal DSBs have not been tested. Here, we report that Xrcc1 inactivation via conditional gene-targeted deletion in WT or XRCC4-deficient primary B cells does not have an impact on either CSR or IgH/c-myc translocations in activated B lymphocytes. Indeed, homozygous deletion of Xrcc1 does not impair A-EJ of I-SceI–induced DSBs in XRCC4-deficient pro–B-cell lines. Correspondingly, substantial depletion of Lig3 in Lig4-deficient primary B cells or B-cell lines does not impair A-EJ of CSR-mediated DSBs or formation of IgH/c-myc translocations. Our findings firmly demonstrate that XRCC1 is not a requisite factor for A-EJ of chromosomal DSBs and raise the possibility that DNA ligase 1 (Lig1) may contribute more to A-EJ than previously considered.