Premium
Hypothesis: A memory lymphocyte‐specific soma‐to‐germline genetic feedback loop
Author(s) -
ROTHENFLUH HARALD S.
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
immunology and cell biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.999
H-Index - 104
eISSN - 1440-1711
pISSN - 0818-9641
DOI - 10.1038/icb.1995.28
Subject(s) - soma , germline , feedback loop , neuroscience , biology , computer science , genetics , gene , computer security
Summary Analysis of recently published DNA sequence data obtained for related germline Ig variable (IgV) genetic elements of several vertebrate species revealed the presence of a number of extremely non‐random patterns of sequence variability among these genes. Strikingly, the patterns were also observed in two sets of chicken IgV pseudogenes. Since the observed patterns are clearly incompatible with existing theories of multigene family evolution, a new model that can account for all of the data is presented in this paper. The model is a modification and extension of an earlier proposed mechanism whereby somatically expressed genes can be returned to the germline by endogenous retroviruses that may act as soma‐to‐germline genetic vectors. The mechanism described proposes that the interactions that may result in the soma‐to‐germline transfer of somatically selected IgV genes occur in the epididymis of the male reproductive tract and are restricted to memory lymphocytes. This mechanism makes a number of predictions that are amenable to experimental testing. From the data presently available in the literature it is not possible to extend the mechanism to the female reproductive tract.