In birds and rabbits this occurs mainly by gene conversion, a process by which short sequences in the expressed rearranged V-region gene are replaced with sequences from an upstream V gene segment pseudogene. The germline arrangement of the chicken heavy-chain locus is a single set of rearranging V, J, D, and C gene segments and multiple copies of V-segment pseudogenes. Diversity in this system is created by gene conversion in which sequences from the VH pseudogenes are copied into the single rearranged VH gene (Fig. 5.27). It seems that gene conversion is related to somatic hypermutation
Fig. 5.27 The diversification of chicken immunoglobulins occurs through gene conversion. In chickens, the immunoglobulin diversity that can be created by V(D)J recombination is extremely limited. Initially, there are only one active V, one J, and 15 D gene segments at the chicken heavy-chain locus and one active V and one J gene segment at the single light-chain locus (top left panel). Primary gene rearrangement can thus produce only a very limited number of receptor specificities (second panels). Immature B cells expressing this receptor migrate to the bursa of Fabricius, where the cross-linking of surface immunoglobulin (sIg) induces cell proliferation (second panels). The chicken genome contains numerous pseudogenes with a prerearranged VH–D structure. Gene conversion events introduce sequences from these adjacent V gene segment pseudogenes into the expressed gene, creating diversity in the receptors (third panels). Some of these gene conversions will inactivate the previously expressed gene (not shown). If a B cell can no longer express sIg after such a gene conversion, it is eliminated. Repeated gene conversion events can continue to diversify the repertoire (bottom panels).
Sequences from V pseudogenes are introduced into rearranged V genes through gene conversion Multiple rounds of gene conversion can alter affnities of antibody for antigen C˜VDJ˜C°VJ°C˜VDJ˜C°VJ°C˜VDJ˜C°VJ°Immature chicken B cells. All have rearranged the same VH and V˜ genes V H D˜C˜J˜V°C°J°VH pseudogenes V° pseudogenes Germline chicken immunoglobulin genes in its mechanism, because gene conversion in a chicken B-cell line has been shown to require the enzyme activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID). In Chapter 10, we will see that this same enzyme is involved in class switching and affinity maturation of the antibody response. For gene conversion, it is thought that single-strand cuts in DNA generated by the endonuclease apurinic/apyrimidinic endonuclease-1 (APE1) after the actions of AID are the signal that initiates a homology-directed repair process in which a homologous V pseudogene segment is used as the template for the DNA replication that repairs the V-region gene.
In sheep and cows, immunoglobulin diversification is the result of somatic hypermutation, which occurs in an organ known as the ileal Peyer’s patch. Somatic hypermutation, independent of T cells and a particular driving antigen, also contributes to immunoglobulin diversification in birds, sheep, and rabbits.