Somatic hypermutation of Ig genes is affected differently by failures in apoptosis caused by disruption of Fas (lpr mutation) or by overexpression of Bcl-2.

The effects of the two main apoptotic pathways on the somatic hypermutation process were analysed. Transgenic mice carrying the V(kappa)Ox1-J(kappa)5 rat transgene were crossed with Fas-deficient lpr mice or with mice overexpressing the Bcl-2 protein. The transgenic V(kappa)Ox1 segment and the endogenous JH4-C(micro) Ig intron from Peyer's patches germinal centre B cells were sequenced to study the intrinsic somatic hypermutation process without the skewing effects of specific antigen selection. The lpr/ox mice displayed, in both regions, a high level of mutations with a normal pattern of substitutions. On the contrary, the bcl-2/ox mice displayed a lower level of mutations with an altered pattern, showing a decreased mutational rate in the intrinsic hotspots of the V(kappa)Ox1 gene. Our results suggest that the lpr mutation does not have a direct effect on the somatic hypermutation process, but rather on the negative selection of B cells in the germinal centres, leading to the accumulation of recurrent mutations. In contrast, Bcl-2 overexpression might influence the somatic hypermutational process either by altering the incorporation of mutations or by enhancing the repair mechanism(s). The present work supports the hypothesis that both apoptotic pathways, Fas and Bcl-2, play distinct roles in the germinal centre reactions.