Immunoglobulin Class Switch Recombination Is Impaired in Atm-deficient Mice

Immunoglobulin class switch recombination (Ig CSR) involves DNA double strand breaks (DSBs) at recombining switch regions and repair of these breaks by nonhomologous end-joining. Because the protein kinase ataxia telengiectasia (AT) mutated (ATM) plays a critical role in DSB repair and AT patients show abnormalities of Ig isotype expression, we assessed the role of ATM in CSR by examining ATM-deficient mice. In response to T cell–dependent antigen (Ag), Atm^−/− mice secreted substantially less Ag-specific IgA, IgG1, IgG2b, and IgG3, and less total IgE than Atm^+/+ controls. To determine whether Atm^−/− B cells have an intrinsic defect in their ability to undergo CSR, we analyzed in vitro responses of purified B cells. Atm^−/− cells secreted substantially less IgA, IgG1, IgG2a, IgG3, and IgE than wild-type (WT) controls in response to stimulation with lipopolysaccharide, CD40 ligand, or anti-IgD plus appropriate cytokines. Molecular analysis of in vitro responses indicated that WT and Atm^−/− B cells produced equivalent amounts of germline IgG1 and IgE transcripts, whereas Atm^−/− B cells produced markedly reduced productive IgG1 and IgE transcripts. The reduction in isotype switching by Atm^−/− B cells occurs at the level of genomic DNA recombination as measured by digestion–circularization PCR. Analysis of sequences at CSR sites indicated that there is greater microhomology at the μ–γ1 switch junctions in ATM B cells than in wild-type B cells, suggesting that ATM function affects the need or preference for sequence homology in the CSR process. These findings suggest a role of ATM in DNA DSB recognition and/or repair during CSR.