UNG shapes the specificity of AID-induced somatic hypermutation

J Exp Med. 2012 Jul 2;209(7):1379-89. doi: 10.1084/jem.20112253. Epub 2012 Jun 4.

Abstract

Secondary diversification of antibodies through somatic hypermutation (SHM) and class switch recombination (CSR) is a critical component of the immune response. Activation-induced deaminase (AID) initiates both processes by deaminating cytosine residues in immunoglobulin genes. The resulting U:G mismatch can be processed by alternative pathways to give rise to a mutation (SHM) or a DNA double-strand break (CSR). Central to this processing is the activity of uracil-N-glycosylase (UNG), an enzyme normally involved in error-free base excision repair. We used next generation sequencing to analyze the contribution of UNG to the resolution of AID-induced lesions. Loss- and gain-of-function experiments showed that UNG activity can promote both error-prone and high fidelity repair of U:G lesions. Unexpectedly, the balance between these alternative outcomes was influenced by the sequence context of the deaminated cytosine, with individual hotspots exhibiting higher susceptibility to UNG-triggered error-free or error-prone resolution. These results reveal UNG as a new molecular layer that shapes the specificity of AID-induced mutations and may provide new insights into the role of AID in cancer development.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • B-Lymphocytes / cytology
  • B-Lymphocytes / metabolism
  • Cells, Cultured
  • Cytidine Deaminase / genetics
  • Cytidine Deaminase / metabolism*
  • DNA Breaks, Double-Stranded*
  • DNA Mutational Analysis / methods
  • DNA Repair / genetics
  • Flow Cytometry
  • Green Fluorescent Proteins / genetics
  • Green Fluorescent Proteins / metabolism
  • HEK293 Cells
  • Humans
  • Luminescent Proteins / genetics
  • Luminescent Proteins / metabolism
  • Mice
  • Mice, Knockout
  • Mutation*
  • NIH 3T3 Cells
  • Somatic Hypermutation, Immunoglobulin
  • Transfection
  • Uracil-DNA Glycosidase / genetics
  • Uracil-DNA Glycosidase / metabolism*

Substances

  • Luminescent Proteins
  • fluorescent protein 583
  • Green Fluorescent Proteins
  • Uracil-DNA Glycosidase
  • AICDA (activation-induced cytidine deaminase)
  • Cytidine Deaminase