Isotype switching: Mouse IgG3 constant region drives increased affinity for polysaccharide antigens

Isotype switching: Mouse IgG3 constant region drives increased affinity for polysaccharide antigens

For many microbes, their polysaccharides (PS) are a critical part of their interaction with the mammalian immune system. Given their lower immunogenicity compared to protein peptides, PS can provide protection against both opsonization and phagocytosis, and in many cases actively protects bacteria against elements of both the innate and adaptive immune systems. Many bacterial species have tradi...

Murine IgG1 and IgG3 Isotype Switch

The constant region contributes to the antigenic specificity and renal pathogenicity of murine anti-DNA antibodies.

Affinity for DNA and cross-reactivity with renal antigens are associated with enhanced renal pathogenicity of lupus autoantibodies. In addition, certain IgG subclasses are enriched in nephritic kidneys, suggesting that isotype may determine the outcome of antibody binding to renal antigens. To investigate if the isotype of DNA antibodies affects renal pathogenicity by influencing antigen bindin...

Ku80 is required for immunoglobulin isotype switching.

Isotype switching is the DNA recombination mechanism by which antibody genes diversify immunoglobulin effector functions. In contrast to V(D)J recombination, which is mediated by RAG1, RAG2 and DNA double-stranded break (DSB) repair proteins, little is known about the mechanism of switching. We have investigated the role of DNA DSB repair in switch recombination in mice that are unable to repai...

Origin of Immunoglobulin Isotype Switching

BACKGROUND From humans to frogs, immunoglobulin class switching introduces different effector functions to antibodies through an intrachromosomal DNA recombination process at the heavy-chain locus. Although there are two conventional antibody classes (IgM, IgW) in sharks, their heavy chains are encoded by 20 to >100 miniloci. These representatives of the earliest jawed vertebrates possess a pri...