The biochemical and biological description of the RAG1and RAG2 proteins has suffered for lack of structural information. Studies by this group, in collaboration with the groups of Dr. Wei Yang (LMB), Dr. Alasdair Steven (NIAMS), and Dr. Emilios Dimitriadis (NIBIB) have now yielded electron microscope pictures of negatively stained samples, good enough for us to construct a fairly detailed model of the signal-end complex (SEC) of the core RAG1 and RAG2 proteins with DNA. Image reconstruction of the EM pictures revealed an anchor-shaped particle with approximate two-fold symmetry. Consistent with a parallel arrangement of DNA and protein subunits, the N-termini of RAG1 and RAG2 were found by antibody staining to be positioned at opposing ends of the complex. Atomic force microscopy revealed that the DNA chains beyond the RSS nonamer emerge from the same face of the complex, near the RAG1 N-termini. Correlated molecular weight measurements by scanning transmission electron microscopy, light scattering, and other biophysical methods have resolved controversial issues about the composition of this complex, showing that it contains two monomer units each of RAG1 and RAG2, together with two DNA fragments. The observed molecular weight of 500 kD agrees with the expected value for this composition. The molecular model that incorporates all these data shows strong interactions between the two RAG1 units and between RAG1 and RAG2, but not between the RAG2 monomers. All these studies have relied on continuing improvements in the protein chemistry that have led to samples of much higher purity than previously available. Present efforts focus on the greater detail that can be seen in cryo-electron microscopy and immuno-electron microscopy. Further studies of these samples will move toward the goal of crystallization of the complex.
| Kim, Min-Sung; Chuenchor, Watchalee; Chen, Xuemin et al. (2018) Cracking the DNA Code for V(D)J Recombination. Mol Cell 70:358-370.e4 |
| Lapkouski, Mikalai; Chuenchor, Watchalee; Kim, Min-Sung et al. (2015) Assembly Pathway and Characterization of the RAG1/2-DNA Paired and Signal-end Complexes. J Biol Chem 290:14618-25 |
| Kim, Min-Sung; Lapkouski, Mikalai; Yang, Wei et al. (2015) Crystal structure of the V(D)J recombinase RAG1-RAG2. Nature 518:507-11 |
| Singh, Samarendra K; Gellert, Martin (2015) Role of RAG1 autoubiquitination in V(D)J recombination. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 112:8579-83 |
| Um, Jee-Hyun; Brown, Alexandra L; Singh, Samarendra K et al. (2013) Metabolic sensor AMPK directly phosphorylates RAG1 protein and regulates V(D)J recombination. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 110:9873-8 |
| Gupta, Shikha; Gellert, Martin; Yang, Wei (2011) Mechanism of mismatch recognition revealed by human MutS? bound to unpaired DNA loops. Nat Struct Mol Biol 19:72-8 |
| Dayal, Sandeep; Nedbal, Jakub; Hobson, Philip et al. (2011) High resolution analysis of the chromatin landscape of the IgE switch region in human B cells. PLoS One 6:e24571 |
| Grundy, Gabrielle J; Yang, Wei; Gellert, Martin (2010) Autoinhibition of DNA cleavage mediated by RAG1 and RAG2 is overcome by an epigenetic signal in V(D)J recombination. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 107:22487-92 |
| Grundy, Gabrielle J; Ramón-Maiques, Santiago; Dimitriadis, Emilios K et al. (2009) Initial stages of V(D)J recombination: the organization of RAG1/2 and RSS DNA in the postcleavage complex. Mol Cell 35:217-27 |
| Longo, Nancy S; Grundy, Gabrielle J; Lee, Jisoo et al. (2008) An activation-induced cytidine deaminase-independent mechanism of secondary VH gene rearrangement in preimmune human B cells. J Immunol 181:7825-34 |
