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Kinetics of Somatic Mutation in Lymph Node Germinal Centres
Author(s) -
KÄLLBERG E.,
GRAY D.,
LEANDERSON T.
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
scandinavian journal of immunology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.934
H-Index - 88
eISSN - 1365-3083
pISSN - 0300-9475
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-3083.1994.tb03492.x
Subject(s) - somatic cell , lymph node , kinetics , mutation , germinal center , germline mutation , genetics , biology , immunology , gene , physics , b cell , antibody , quantum mechanics
Somatic mutation activity in immunoglobulin V k genes during the response to the hapten 2‐phenyl‐5‐oxazolone was measured in lymph node B‐cell populations at various timepoints after footpad immunization. When the V k Oxl genes rearranged to the J k 5 segment were amplified from genomic DNA using the polymerase chain reaction and sequenced, somatic mutations could be detected as early as day 4 after immunization. Somatic mutations were also detected after sequencing RNA from oxazolone‐specific hybridomas derived from lymph node cells at day 4 after immunization. These early mutations were found mostly in cells with a germinal centre phenotype. No indication of selection at the population level by apoptosis was detected until day 7 after immunization. These results suggest somatic mutations can be induced very early during the immune response in lymph node cells, prior to the peak of clonal expansion and selection with regard to antigen binding.