ERG Controls B Cell Development by Promoting Igh V-to-DJ Recombination

Elisabeth Søndergaard; Alexander Rauch; Magali Michaut; Nicolas Rapin; Matilda Rehn; Anna S. Wilhelmson; Alessandro Camponeschi; Marie S. Hasemann; Frederik O. Bagger; Johan Jendholm; Kasper J. Knudsen; Susanne Mandrup; Inga-Lill Mårtensson; Bo T. Porse

ERG Controls B Cell Development by Promoting Igh V-to-DJ Recombination

2019

Summary: B cell development depends on the coordinated expression and cooperation of several transcription factors. Here we show that the transcription factor ETS-related gene (ERG) is crucial for normal B cell development and that its deletion results in a substantial loss of bone marrow B cell progenitors and peripheral B cells, as well as a skewing of splenic B cell populations. We find that ERG-deficient B lineage cells exhibit an early developmental block at the pre-B cell stage and proliferate less. The cells fail to express the immunoglobulin heavy chain due to inefficient V-to-DJ recombination, and cells that undergo recombination display a strong bias against incorporation of distal V gene segments. Furthermore, antisense transcription at PAX5-activated intergenic repeat (PAIR) elements, located in the distal region of the Igh locus, depends on ERG. These findings show that ERG serves as a critical regulator of B cell development by ensuring efficient and balanced V-to-DJ recombination. : Søndergaard et al. demonstrate that ERG is a critical transcriptional regulator essential for B cell development. Loss of ERG leads to a marked reduction in V-to-DJ recombination at the Igh locus, precluding B cell progenitors from expressing the pre-B cell receptor, which is required for entering the final stages of B cell development. Keywords: ETS-related gene, ERG, B cell development, V(D)J recombination, pre-BCR, immunoglobulin heavy-chain gene, transcriptional control

اظهر المزيد [+]