Figure 5. V(D)J recombination overview.

Recombination is thought to be initiated by binding of the RAG proteins to a single 12-RSS (not shown), which then captures the 23-RSS to form a synaptic complex (86). RAG1/2 complexes are shown as shaded circles. Double-strand break formation generates a DNA-protein complex, the post-cleavage complex, which then helps to control the “shepherding” of the broken DNA ends to the classical nonhomologous end joining machinery (left), preventing the ends from accessing other repair mechanisms such as alternative NHEJ or homologous recombination (right).