Skip to main content
PMC home page
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America logoLink to Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
. 1986 Jan;83(2):456–460. doi: 10.1073/pnas.83.2.456

Immunoglobulin J chain gene from the mouse.

L Matsuuchi, G M Cann, M E Koshland
PMCID: PMC322878  PMID: 3079912

Abstract

During a primary immune response, murine B lymphocytes are induced to express the gene for the immunoglobulin J chain. As a first step in determining the mechanism of induction, genomic DNA clones encoding the murine J chain were obtained from cell lines representative of B lymphocytes before and after J chain expression. Analysis of the coding regions showed that the J chain gene has a different structure from the other immunoglobulin genes. It consists of four exons organized in a simple 7.3-kilobase transcription unit that does not require DNA rearrangement or alternative processing for expression. These structural properties indicate that transcription of the J chain gene is initiated by changes in chromatin conformation, probably involving a J chain-specific DNA-binding factor. Analysis of the 5' flanking sequences of the J chain gene, on the other hand, showed that the promoter region contains two conserved elements that have been implicated in the lymphocyte-specific expression of the light chain genes. The sharing of these elements suggests that, once the J chain gene is activated, its transcription is regulated by mechanisms similar to those controlling the light chain genes.

Full text

PDF

Images in this article

459Image
on p.459

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Akusjärvi G., Pettersson U. Sequence analysis of adenovirus DNA: complete nucleotide sequence of the spliced 5' noncoding region of adenovirus 2 hexon messenger RNA. Cell. 1979 Apr;16(4):841–850. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(79)90099-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Banerji J., Olson L., Schaffner W. A lymphocyte-specific cellular enhancer is located downstream of the joining region in immunoglobulin heavy chain genes. Cell. 1983 Jul;33(3):729–740. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(83)90015-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Benton W. D., Davis R. W. Screening lambdagt recombinant clones by hybridization to single plaques in situ. Science. 1977 Apr 8;196(4286):180–182. doi: 10.1126/science.322279. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Berk A. J., Sharp P. A. Sizing and mapping of early adenovirus mRNAs by gel electrophoresis of S1 endonuclease-digested hybrids. Cell. 1977 Nov;12(3):721–732. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(77)90272-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Bernard O., Hozumi N., Tonegawa S. Sequences of mouse immunoglobulin light chain genes before and after somatic changes. Cell. 1978 Dec;15(4):1133–1144. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(78)90041-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Blattner F. R., Williams B. G., Blechl A. E., Denniston-Thompson K., Faber H. E., Furlong L., Grunwald D. J., Kiefer D. O., Moore D. D., Schumm J. W. Charon phages: safer derivatives of bacteriophage lambda for DNA cloning. Science. 1977 Apr 8;196(4286):161–169. doi: 10.1126/science.847462. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Brown D. D. The role of stable complexes that repress and activate eucaryotic genes. Cell. 1984 Jun;37(2):359–365. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(84)90366-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Cann G. M., Zaritsky A., Koshland M. E. Primary structure of the immunoglobulin J chain from the mouse. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1982 Nov;79(21):6656–6660. doi: 10.1073/pnas.79.21.6656. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Church G. M., Ephrussi A., Gilbert W., Tonegawa S. Cell-type-specific contacts to immunoglobulin enhancers in nuclei. 1985 Feb 28-Mar 6Nature. 313(6005):798–801. doi: 10.1038/313798a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Cohen D. I., Steinberg A. D., Paul W. E., Davis M. M. Expression of an X-linked gene family (XLR) in late-stage B cells and its alteration by the xid mutation. 1985 Mar 28-Apr 3Nature. 314(6009):372–374. doi: 10.1038/314372a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Dynan W. S., Tjian R. The promoter-specific transcription factor Sp1 binds to upstream sequences in the SV40 early promoter. Cell. 1983 Nov;35(1):79–87. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(83)90210-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Elliott B. W., Jr, Steiner L. A. Amino- and carboxy-terminal sequence of mouse J chain and analysis of tryptic peptides. J Immunol. 1984 Jun;132(6):2968–2974. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Emerson B. M., Felsenfeld G. Specific factor conferring nuclease hypersensitivity at the 5' end of the chicken adult beta-globin gene. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1984 Jan;81(1):95–99. doi: 10.1073/pnas.81.1.95. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Falkner F. G., Zachau H. G. Correct transcription of an immunoglobulin kappa gene requires an upstream fragment containing conserved sequence elements. Nature. 1984 Jul 5;310(5972):71–74. doi: 10.1038/310071a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Foster J., Stafford J., Queen C. An immunoglobulin promoter displays cell-type specificity independently of the enhancer. 1985 May 30-Jun 5Nature. 315(6018):423–425. doi: 10.1038/315423a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Gilbert W. Genes-in-pieces revisited. Science. 1985 May 17;228(4701):823–824. doi: 10.1126/science.4001923. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Gillies S. D., Morrison S. L., Oi V. T., Tonegawa S. A tissue-specific transcription enhancer element is located in the major intron of a rearranged immunoglobulin heavy chain gene. Cell. 1983 Jul;33(3):717–728. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(83)90014-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Honjo T. Immunoglobulin genes. Annu Rev Immunol. 1983;1:499–528. doi: 10.1146/annurev.iy.01.040183.002435. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Kelley D. E., Coleclough C., Perry R. P. Functional significance and evolutionary development of the 5'-terminal regions of immunoglobulin variable-region genes. Cell. 1982 Jun;29(2):681–689. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(82)90184-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Koshland M. E. Presidential address: molecular aspects of B cell differentiation. American Association of Immunologists April 1983. J Immunol. 1983 Dec;131(6):i–ix. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Koshland M. E. Structure and function of the J chain. Adv Immunol. 1975;20:41–69. doi: 10.1016/s0065-2776(08)60206-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Koshland M. E. The coming of age of the immunoglobulin J chain. Annu Rev Immunol. 1985;3:425–453. doi: 10.1146/annurev.iy.03.040185.002233. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Lamson G., Koshland M. E. Changes in J chain and mu chain RNA expression as a function of B cell differentiation. J Exp Med. 1984 Sep 1;160(3):877–892. doi: 10.1084/jem.160.3.877. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Mason J. O., Williams G. T., Neuberger M. S. Transcription cell type specificity is conferred by an immunoglobulin VH gene promoter that includes a functional consensus sequence. Cell. 1985 Jun;41(2):479–487. doi: 10.1016/s0092-8674(85)80021-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Mather E. L., Alt F. W., Bothwell A. L., Baltimore D., Koshland M. E. Expression of J chain RNA in cell lines representing different stages of B lymphocyte differentiation. Cell. 1981 Feb;23(2):369–378. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(81)90132-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Max E. E., Korsmeyer S. J. Human J chain gene. Structure and expression in B lymphoid cells. J Exp Med. 1985 Apr 1;161(4):832–849. doi: 10.1084/jem.161.4.832. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. Maxam A. M., Gilbert W. Sequencing end-labeled DNA with base-specific chemical cleavages. Methods Enzymol. 1980;65(1):499–560. doi: 10.1016/s0076-6879(80)65059-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  28. Mercola M., Goverman J., Mirell C., Calame K. Immunoglobulin heavy-chain enhancer requires one or more tissue-specific factors. Science. 1985 Jan 18;227(4684):266–270. doi: 10.1126/science.3917575. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  29. Nakanishi K., Cohen D. I., Blackman M., Nielsen E., Ohara J., Hamaoka T., Koshland M. E., Paul W. E. Ig RNA expression in normal B cells stimulated with anti-IgM antibody and T cell-derived growth and differentiation factors. J Exp Med. 1984 Dec 1;160(6):1736–1751. doi: 10.1084/jem.160.6.1736. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  30. Parslow T. G., Blair D. L., Murphy W. J., Granner D. K. Structure of the 5' ends of immunoglobulin genes: a novel conserved sequence. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1984 May;81(9):2650–2654. doi: 10.1073/pnas.81.9.2650. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  31. Parslow T. G., Granner D. K. Chromatin changes accompany immunoglobulin kappa gene activation: a potential control region within the gene. Nature. 1982 Sep 30;299(5882):449–451. doi: 10.1038/299449a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  32. Queen C., Baltimore D. Immunoglobulin gene transcription is activated by downstream sequence elements. Cell. 1983 Jul;33(3):741–748. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(83)90016-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  33. Raschke W. C., Mather E. L., Koshland M. E. Assembly and secretion of pentameric IgM in a fusion between a nonsecreting B cell lymphoma and an IgG-secreting plasmacytoma. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1979 Jul;76(7):3469–3473. doi: 10.1073/pnas.76.7.3469. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  34. Wahl G. M., Stern M., Stark G. R. Efficient transfer of large DNA fragments from agarose gels to diazobenzyloxymethyl-paper and rapid hybridization by using dextran sulfate. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1979 Aug;76(8):3683–3687. doi: 10.1073/pnas.76.8.3683. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  35. Watson M. E. Compilation of published signal sequences. Nucleic Acids Res. 1984 Jul 11;12(13):5145–5164. doi: 10.1093/nar/12.13.5145. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  36. Weaver R. F., Weissmann C. Mapping of RNA by a modification of the Berk-Sharp procedure: the 5' termini of 15 S beta-globin mRNA precursor and mature 10 s beta-globin mRNA have identical map coordinates. Nucleic Acids Res. 1979 Nov 10;7(5):1175–1193. doi: 10.1093/nar/7.5.1175. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  37. Wu C. Two protein-binding sites in chromatin implicated in the activation of heat-shock genes. Nature. 1984 May 17;309(5965):229–234. doi: 10.1038/309229a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  38. Yagi M., Koshland M. E. Expression of the J chain gene during B cell differentiation is inversely correlated with DNA methylation. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1981 Aug;78(8):4907–4911. doi: 10.1073/pnas.78.8.4907. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  39. Zikan J., Novotny J., Trapane T. L., Koshland M. E., Urry D. W., Bennett J. C., Mestecky J. Secondary structure of the immunoglobulin J chain. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1985 Sep;82(17):5905–5909. doi: 10.1073/pnas.82.17.5905. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America are provided here courtesy of National Academy of Sciences

RESOURCES