Activated B cell–like (ABC) lymphomas have a higher rate of intraswitch deletions compared with other lymphomas.

Switching from one antibody isotype to another is a risky business that involves altering and cleaving DNA. B cell lymphomas that are stuck in the riskiest stage suffer repeated mutations and insertions that may further drive oncogenesis, according to Lenz et al. on page 633.

Mature B cells switch from producing IgM to other antibody isotypes during their response to antigen. This process, known as class switch recombination (CSR), is initiated by an enzyme called activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID). Modification of DNA bases by AID within a so-called switch region leads to DNA cleavage. An intervening sequence is looped out, and two cleaved switch regions are ligated together to create a new gene encoding a new antibody isotype.

The group had previously found that the activated B cell–like...

The Rockefeller University Press
2007
The Rockefeller University Press
2007
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