dDeveloping lymphocytes somatically diversify their antigen-receptor loci through V(D)J recombination. The process is associated with allelic exclusion, which results in monoallelic expression of an antigen receptor locus. Various cis-regulatory elements control V(D)J recombination in a developmentally regulated manner, but their role in allelic exclusion is still unclear. At the immunoglobulin heavy chain locus (IgH), the E enhancer plays a critical role in V(D)J recombination. We generated a mouse line with a replacement mutation in the constant region of the locus that duplicates the E enhancer and allows premature expression of the ␥3 heavy chain. Strikingly, IgM expression was completely and specifically excluded in cis from the mutant allele. This cis exclusion recapitulated the main features of allelic exclusion, including differential exclusion of variable genes. Notably, sense and antisense transcription within the distal variable domain and distal V H -DJ H recombination were inhibited. cis exclusion was established and stably maintained despite an active endogenous E enhancer. The data reveal the importance of the dynamic, developmental stage-dependent interplay between IgH locus enhancers and signaling in the induction and maintenance of allelic exclusion.
Developing B and T lymphocytes have the capacity to somatically alter their genomes and diversify their antigen receptor loci through V(D)J recombination. This developmentally regulated process is initiated by the lymphoid-specific RAG1/2 complex, which recognizes conserved recombination signal sequences (RSSs) flanking the V, D, and J segments in the variable domain of antigen receptor (IgH, IgL, and TCR) loci (1, 2). V(D)J recombination correlates with chromatin modifications, germ line transcription of rearranging V, D, and J segments, and large-scale chromosome dynamics within nuclear compartments (3-5).The mouse IgH locus contains ϳ200 V H genes, which are subdivided into V H gene families. The most prominent are the distal V H genes, notably the large V HJ558 gene family, and the proximal V H genes. These are followed by a dozen D segments (ϳ60 kb), 4 J H segments (ϳ2 kb), and 8 constant genes (ϳ200 kb) (6, 7).In B lymphocytes, V(D)J assembly starts at the IgH locus, where D segments are first recombined to J H segments on both alleles. Although they have the potential to undergo V H -DJ H recombination on the two alleles, the vast majority of B lymphocytes are subject to allelic exclusion, i.e., a given B cell expresses only one IgH allele. A productive V(D)J rearrangement allows production of the heavy chain, which associates with surrogate light chains and signals an arrest of V H -DJ H recombination on the second IgH allele. If the first V H -DJ H rearrangement is not productive, then the second allele can undergo V H -DJ H recombination (1, 8). Nonetheless, in rare B cells, productive rearrangements can occur on both alleles (i.e., allelic inclusion), but only one heavy chain from only one allele can associate with surrogate light chains...