Analysis of rearranged immunoglobulin heavy chain variable region genes obtained from a bone marrow transplant (BMT) recipient.

Haematopoietic stem cell transplantation has been used for the treatment of many different malignant and non-malignant diseases. The immune system of transplant recipients must be regenerated from the transplant inoculum, and it is not surprising that many transplant recipients are deficient in generating specific antibody responses to exogenous stimuli. This B cell immunodeficiency in these patients is associated with clinically significant infections, although the underlying mechanism remains unknown. We have previously shown that the pattern of usage of V(H) genes was similar between healthy subjects and BMT recipients, indicating that the immunodeficiency was not due to a dramatic imbalance in V(H) utilization. However, motif-specific hybridization analysis indicated that the accumulation of somatic mutations was much greater among rearrangements in controls than in BMT recipients. The failure of BMT recipients to accumulate somatic mutations in rearranged V(H) genes correlates with an absence of IgD- B cells, and is consistent with a defect in antigen-driven B cell responses. In the current study, which extends those findings, we have determined the nucleotide sequences of 68 heavy chain rearrangements from one patient as well as 39 rearrangements from a healthy control. Analysis of these sequences made possible a more precise definition of variable region configuration and of the status of somatic mutation in this BMT recipient. The results validate the hybridization data and support the conclusion that, although somatic hypermutation and, by inference, antigen-driven responses are detected in BMT recipients, they are deficient compared with healthy subjects as late as 1 year after transplant.

Immunoglobulin heavy chain variable region gene usage in bone marrow transplant recipients: lack of somatic mutation indicates a maturational arrest.

Many recipients of bone marrow transplant (BMT) make normal amounts of serum immunoglobulin but are deficient in generating specific antibody responses to exogenous stimuli. To determine if abnormal usage of VH genes contributes to this immunodeficiency, the usage of VH genes was determined in peripheral blood B cells of four BMT recipients, two of whom had developed chronic graft versus host disease. The pattern of usage of VH3 or VH4 genes assessed at either 90 days or approximately 1 year after transplant was similar to that observed in healthy subjects and was marked by the over utilization of two elements, one VH3 and one VH4. However, the repertoires of each of the four BMT recipients appeared to be less complex than the repertoires of healthy subjects. The differences were a consequence of the accumulation of somatic mutations among rearrangements in the controls but not in the BMT recipients. The failure to accumulate somatic mutations in rearranged VH genes is consistent with a defect in antigen driven B-cell responses. These results indicate the although the VH gene content of the repertoire has normalized by 90 days posttransplant, a maturational arrest in B-cell differentiation associated with antigen activation persists for at least 1 year after BMT.

Representation of rearranged VH gene segments in the human adult antibody repertoire.

The heavy chain variable region composition of the human adult Ab repertoire is poorly defined, but recent evidence suggests that peripheral blood B cells may express a nonstochastic assortment of VH genes. In this study, the contribution of individual VH gene segments to the human Ab repertoire has been assessed. As a measure of VH gene utilization, the frequency of occurrence of eight individual VH3 gene segments contained in rearrangements was assessed in the peripheral blood B cells of two adult subjects. In addition, the frequency of occurrence of rearrangements containing nine individual VH4 gene segments was analyzed in one of the subjects. More than 2500 independent rearrangements were analyzed. For controls, amplifications and subsequent identification of nonrearranged VH3 and VH4 genes from the same individuals were also performed. The results of this germ-line analysis indicated that approximately 25 VH3 gene segments and nine VH4 gene segments could be amplified quantitatively. However, usage of elements was not uniform; one VH3 element, V3-23, and one VH4 element, V4-34, were represented among rearrangements more frequently than were other members of their respective families. This pattern of VH utilization was apparent in B cells isolated from the same subject after an 8-mo interval, indicating the relative stability of the repertoire over time. These results indicate that the adult human Ab repertoire is dominated by a few VH genes demonstrating a pattern of nonrandom utilization that could involve preferential rearrangement and/or receptor-dependent selection.

Predominant V-region gene configurations in the human antibody response to Haemophilus influenzae capsule polysaccharide.

The antibody response to Haemophilus influenzae type b polysaccharide (Hib PS) is known to be encoded by a few V-region genes. We have obtained four human monoclonal Hib PS antibodies from four healthy adult subjects immunized with diphtheria toxin-conjugated Hib PS vaccine. The VH gene segments that encode for these antibodies belong to the VH3 gene family, of which two are related to the V3-23 gene and two to the VH3b subfamily. Both hybridomas that express a V3-23-related gene use short D-segments (3 bp), the JH6 gene segment and a V kappa gene derived from the A2 germline gene. The two hybridomas that express VH3b genes use D-segments of conventional length (24-33 bp), the JH4 gene segment and a non-A2 V kappa gene. Comparison of our sequences with those reported by others suggests that the above patterns of V-region gene segment association exemplify two V-region gene configurations that are predominant in the Hib PS antibody response. The first configuration is reminiscent of antibodies produced by B-1 B cells while the second is more characteristic of antibodies produced by conventional B cells. The possibility that these two configurations, in fact, represent the products of two different B cell lineages remains to be elucidated.

Lymphocyte HEV adhesion variants differ in the expression of multiple gene sequences.

Lymphocyte adhesion to high endothelial venule cells in lymphoid organs of mice is mediated by several cell-surface glycoproteins, one of which, gp90MEL-14, is detected by the MEL-14 monoclonal antibody (mAb). The MEL-14 mAb was used to select two variants of the EL4 cell line, EL4MEL-14-hi and EL4-MEL-14-lo, that have disparate cell surface expression of this adhesion receptor. A cDNA library constructed from EL4MEL-14-hi mRNA was enriched for sequences present at higher levels in EL4MEL-14-hi cells than EL4MEL-14-lo cells. Quantitative analysis of candidate differential clones by RNA probe protection methods identified five clones whose steady-state mRNA levels were increased in the EL4MEL-14-hi cells. One of these clones, DIFF6, is derived from an RNA whose expression level is higher in several cell lines producing high amounts of MEL-14-reactive gp90, and absent or present at lower levels in several cell lines expressing low levels of this glycoprotein. However, DIFF6 does not encode gp90MEL-14. The nucleotide sequence of this clone predicts a relatively hydrophilic protein characteristic of a cytoplasmic or nuclear protein. Present experiments indicate that expression of gp90MEL-14, a cell-surface-adhesion receptor molecule, may be coregulated with additional cytoplasmic or nuclear factors.

Isolation of mouse CD44 cDNA: structural features are distinct from the primate cDNA.

CD44 is a glycoprotein that participates in adhesion of lymphocytes to high endothelial cells of lymph organs and likely functions in other intercellular adhesions as well. We have isolated a mouse CD44 cDNA by polymerase chain reaction amplification of cDNA synthesized from total cellular RNA isolated from 38C-13, a B-lymphocyte cell line. The oligonucleotide sequences were based at the 5' end on the baboon CD44 sequence upstream of and including the translation initiator ATG and at the 3' end on a mouse CD44 sequence that was determined from a rare, incomplete cDNA clone. The mouse CD44 DNA sequence is similar to the baboon CD44 sequence but has structural features that are distinct. The external domain has a region that is only 35% similar between the mouse and primate proteins, in contrast to 85%-90% similarity in the rest of the sequence. In addition, just upstream from the predicted cleavage site of the leader peptide, nucleotide insertions result in the addition of two or four amino acids, depending upon the mouse strain. An amino acid replacement between two strains carrying different CD44 (also called Pgp-1) allotypes is likely responsible for the Pgp-1 polymorphism. The most striking aspect of mouse CD44 is that the RNA does not fractionate with polyadenylylated RNA, unlike the CD44 RNA in human, baboon, rat, and chicken.

Isolation and DNA sequence of a cDNA clone encoding a lymphocyte adhesion receptor for high endothelium.

The migration of lymphocytes from the bloodstream into the secondary lymphoid organs, which is necessary for a successful immune response, occurs primarily within postcapillary venules that are characterized by high-walled endothelial cells. Lymphocyte adhesion to and extravasation at these sites is associated with the expression of specific lymphoid receptors for this specialized venule endothelium. We report here the molecular cloning from a baboon lymphoid cell line of a cDNA that encodes an adhesion receptor for HEV. The 362-amino acid protein encoded by this cDNA is not present in any of the data bases examined. The mature protein, resulting from the cleavage of a putative 20-amino acid signal peptide, has a calculated molecular mass of only 37 kDa, indicating that the 90-kDa cell surface protein is highly modified. The 342 amino acids, which lack any repeated sequences of significant length, encompass an extracellular domain (250 amino acids), a putative transmembrane domain (20 amino acids), and a cytoplasmic domain (72 amino acids).

Unusual immunoglobulin DNA sequences from the nonexpressed chromosome of mouse normal B lymphocytes: implications for allelic exclusion and the DNA rearrangement process.

Allelic exclusion of immunoglobulin gene products results in the expression of only one of two possible alleles in normal B lineage cells. Attempts to define the role of heavy chain gene rearrangements in this process have revealed the nonexpressed allele to be rarely in its germline context, but rather incompletely rearranged (D/J rearrangements) or completely rearranged (V/D/J rearrangements) and in a context that cannot be expressed as a protein. Nearly all DNA sequences of heavy chain genes from the nonexpressed allele have originated from plasmacytomas, virus-induced pre-B leukemias, and hybridomas--all clonal cell lines perhaps altered by the neoplastic process. In this communication, we present the first examples of isolation and DNA sequence analysis of heavy chain gene rearrangements from the nonexpressed allele of normal B lymphocytes. Splenic B lymphocytes from allotype heterozygous (BALB/c X C57BL/6J)F1 mice expressing the BALB/c IgD allotype were detected with a monoclonal antibody, H10-4.22, to the BALB/c delta chain genetic marker and were isolated with a FACS (fluorescence-activated cell sorter). lambda phage clones containing the JH gene region from the sorted cells were isolated, and those containing sequences derived from the C57BL/6J nonexpressed chromosome were identified by a restriction fragment length polymorphism. DNA sequences of seven rearranged clones from the nonexpressed allele are presented. Five of these rearrangements have unexpected compositions. Four of the five clones contain V/D/J rearrangements with no obvious impediments to expression generated by the rearrangements. The novel variable region gene in one of these V/D/J rearrangements is a member of a newly described VH gene family. The fifth clone has a 3.5 kb deletion removing all of the JH gene segments. The remaining two clones contain D/J rearrangements that are typical of the initial stage of variable region assembly. These findings suggest that the mechanisms that generate nontranslatable heavy chains do not exclusively account for allelic exclusion. Rather, several different mechanisms may contribute to the establishment of allelic exclusion in normal B lymphocytes.

An aberrant avian leukosis virus provirus inserted downstream from the chicken c-myc coding sequence in a bursal lymphoma results from intrachromosomal recombination between two proviruses and deletion of cellular DNA.

A chicken bursal lymphoma, LL6, contains avian leukosis virus DNA integrated 3' of the c-myc coding sequences, unlike all other examined bursal lymphomas, which have integrations 5' to c-myc. To better understand this unusual mutation, we examined a molecular clone containing the LL6 c-myc gene and determined the structure of the proviral insertion by DNA sequencing. Viral DNA begins 575 base pairs downstream of the c-myc coding sequences within the untranslated region, disrupting the use of the normal polyadenylation signal. An internal deletion of the provirus extends from within U3 in the 5' long terminal repeat to within the gp37-coding region of the env gene, disabling virus replication and protein synthesis. Both host-virus boundaries appear normal with respect to the site in viral DNA which is joined to host DNA; both long terminal repeats lack the terminal dinucleotide found in unintegrated DNA. However, in contrast to normal integrations, the six bases of cellular sequence at the 5' junction are not repeated at the 3' junction. The DNA sequences immediately downstream of the LL6 recombinant provirus are not part of the c-myc gene; they originate from the same chromosome as c-myc, but at least 15 kilobases (kb) away. In addition, DNA sequences normally residing 3' of c-myc are deleted in LL6. In summary, these results imply that the LL6 provirus is the result of recombination between two proviruses; that both proviruses were originally downstream of c-myc in the same orientation and separated by at least 15 kb; and that the recombination event was preceded, accompanied, or followed by an internal proviral deletion. No transcript could be detected within a 20-kb region downstream of the LL6 provirus, leaving unresolved the question of whether the additional chromosomal alterations make a specific contribution to LL6 tumorigenesis.

Features of the chicken c-myc gene that influence the structure of c-myc RNA in normal cells and bursal lymphomas.

The chicken c-myc gene is the target for proviral insertion mutations in bursal lymphomas and has been transduced to generate several viral oncogenes, but the boundaries of its exons have not been securely established. To define the landmarks of the chicken c-myc gene necessary to produce its mRNA, we used an RNase protection assay and a cDNA clone to analyze the c-myc mRNAs from normal chicken embryos and from two bursal lymphomas: LL6, which contains an avian leukosis virus provirus downstream of the c-myc coding region, and LL7, which contains an avian leukosis virus provirus upstream of the c-myc coding region. Two initiation sites for normal c-myc mRNA are less than 7 bases apart, downstream of a GC-rich region lacking canonical TATA and CAAT sequences. The first exon has two open reading frames for the entire length but no initiator methionine codons. The splice donor and acceptor sites at the boundary of the first intron were assigned by comparing a sequence of an LL6 c-myc cDNA clone with a genomic DNA sequence and confirmed by RNase protection of labeled RNA probes by normal and LL6-derived mRNAs. Two potential polyadenylation signals are located approximately 250 and 400 bases downstream of the c-myc coding region in the third exon, but only the more distal signal is utilized in both normal cells and the LL7 tumor. The proviral integration in the LL6 tumor occurred upstream of the authentic c-myc polyadenylation signal accounting for polyadenylation of this transcript in the proviral long terminal repeat.

Surface phenotype of Peyer's patch germinal center cells: implications for the role of germinal centers in B cell differentiation.

The surface phenotype of Peyer's patch germinal center lymphoid cells in the mouse is described. It is confirmed that most germinal center lymphocytes bind high levels of peanut agglutination (PNA), a lectin with specificity for terminal galactosyl residues. It is shown that germinal center lymphocytes can be identified in cell suspensions as a discrete PNAhi population distinct from other B cells, plasma cells, and most T cells, which bind only low levels of PNA. Using fluorescence-labeled PNA as a marker in dual fluorescence studies, we found that the majority of Peyer's patch germinal center cells are B lymphocytes: PNAhi Peyer's patch cells express B220, the B lineage-specific form of the T200 family of molecules, as well as low levels of surface Ig. They do not express the T cell-lineage antigens Thy-1, Lyt-1, or Lyt-2 (only 1 to 3% positive). They bear lower levels of H2-K than PNAlo B cells, but two to three times the level of surface I-A-encoded determinants. A discrete but variable subpopulation of PNAhi Peyer's patch cells bear ThB in AKR/c mice, but BALB/c PNAhi lymphocytes are ThB-. About 10 to 30% bear surface IgM or IgG, but in contrast to essentially all PNAlo B lymphocytes in this site, they express no detectable surface IgD. The majority of Peyer's patch germinal center cells bear surface IgA, and this IgA is allelically excluded in F1 mice, indicating it is synthesized by the germinal center cells themselves. In fact, germinal centers contain most of the IgA-bearing cells in Peyer's patches (70 to 85%). These findings lend considerable support to the concept that germinal centers in Peyer's patches are the site of generation of precursors of the IgA-secreting plasma cells that characterize mucosal immune responses, and also suggest that germinal centers may play an important role in the process of heavy chain class switching.

Immunoglobulin gene rearrangements in normal mouse B cells.

We have analyzed the structure of rearranged mu heavy-chain genes obtained from the genomic DNA of normal BALB/c mouse spleen cells expressing surface immunoglobulin M. Examples were found of two types of nonproductive rearrangements, which may be responsible for allelic exclusion in normal B cells. In one of these rearrangements, a germ line D gene segment has joined to the JH4 gene segment but no V/D joining has occurred. We present evidence that D gene segments lie as a cluster between V and J gene segments in the germ line. A comparison of conserved sequences in V and D gene segments suggests that the D gene segments, which are found only in the heavy-chain gene family, may have evolved from V gene segments similar to the Vk family.

Surface phenotype and migratory capability of Peyer's patch germinal center cells.

Peanut agglutinin (PNA) binds selectively to germinal center cells in mouse peripheral lymphoid organs. Using PNA as a marker, we have determined that Peyer's patch germinal center cells are B cells with a unique phenotype---they express a low level of surface immunoglobulin (about 85% Ig+), predominantly of the IgA class (70% alpha+), with only 10% bearing surface IgM, and few if any expressing IgD. This phenotype identifies murine Peyer's patch germinal center cells as fairly late cells in B cell differentiation, and suggests that they may be precursors of IgA-secreting plasma cells in the gut wall. In addition, we have described a means of purifying PNA+ Peyer's patch lymphocytes, and have demonstrated that these cells lack functional receptors for high endothelial venules and fail to migrate to lymphoid organs in vivo. It is speculated that PNA may be a general marker for nonmigratory lymphocyte populations undergoing local differentiation.

Expression of IgD may use both DNA rearrangement and RNA splicing mechanisms.

From a library of mouse sperm DNA, we have isolated two overlapping clones which contain the C(delta) gene. One of these clones also contains the C(mu) gene. The C(delta) gene is separated from the C(mu) membrane exons by approximately 2 kilobases (kb) of DAN. The C(delta) gene was identified by (a) hybridization to poly(A)(+)RNA prepared from the IgD-producing rat plasma cell tumor IR731, and (b) homology of a translated nucleotide sequence to the amino acid sequence of the human delta chain. The C(delta) gene spans 8 kb of DNA in the germ line. Plasmid subclones of the C(delta) gene were used as probes in Southern and RNA blot experiments. RNA blot analysis of cytoplasmic poly(A)(+)RNA from IR731 and a mu(+)delta(+) B-cell hybridoma revealed 1.6- and 2.7-kb delta mRNA species with different 3' ends, which presumably encode the secreted and membrane-bound forms, respectively, of the delta chain. Southern blot analysis of DNA from two mu(+)delta(+) lymphomas revealed that the C(delta) gene is in the germ-line configuration in each case. Restriction map analysis of C(mu) and C(delta) genomic clones isolated from a library of normal mu(+)delta(+) B-cell DNA also gave no evidence for DNA rearrangement in the region between the C(mu) and C(delta) genes. Taken together, these data suggest that IgD expression in mu(+)delta(+) B cells does not involve a V(H)-to-C(delta) DNA switch rearrangement. We propose that simultaneous expression of C(delta) and C(delta) with a single V(H) gene is mediated by two alternative routes of RNA processing of a primary nuclear transcript which contains the V(H), C(mu), and C(delta) genes. In contrast, analogous experiments with myeloma IR731 DNA revealed that the C(mu) gene has been deleted from the myeloma DNA and that the C(delta) gene has undergone DNA rearrangement, presumably including a switch recombination of the V(H) gene from the C(mu) to the C(delta) gene. These results indicate that two alternative mechanisms may be used in the expression of IgD molecules-RNA splicing in B cells and DNA rearrangement in plasma cells.

Cmu gene rearrangement of mouse immunoglobulin genes in normal B cells occurs on both the expressed and nonexpressed chromosomes.

We have examined the organization of heavy-chain immunoglobulin genes on both the expressed and nonexpressed chromosomes of normal B lymphocytes from allotype heterozygous (BALB/c X C57BL/J)F1 mice. The C mu genes of BALB/c mice are on 12.4-kilobase EcoRI and 13.1-kilobase Kpn I restriction fragments, whereas those of C57BL/J mice are on 13.6-kilobase EcoRI and 14.3-kilobase Kpn I restriction fragments, allowing the examination of rearrangements on each chromosome independently. B lymphocytes from spleen and Peyer's patches expressing both IgD and IgM of the BALB/c allotype were isolated with a fluorescence-activated cell sorter. EcoRI and Kpn I restriction digests were hybridized with a C mu gene-containing probe. The C mu gene is present on both chromosomes. DNA rearrangements occur on both the expressed and nonexpressed chromosome within the 3.6-kilobase Kpn I/EcoRI restriction fragment containing the joining (JH) gene locus. We conclude that allelic exclusion of heavy-chain immunoglobulin gene expression is not mediated by JH-region DNA rearrangement of the expressed chromosome only. In contrast, analysis of the C kappa gene region from the same sorted B-cell DNA reveals a substantial quantity of germ-line context DNA. We also demonstrate that the deletions observed on the Eco RI fragment containing the C mu gene in myeloma cells and in C mu gene-containing recombinant DNAs do not usually occur in normally differentiating B lymphocytes and are likely to be confined to myeloma tumor cells.