Swanson Patrick C, Kumar Sushil, Raval Prafulla
Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, Creighton University Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska 68178, USA.
Adv Exp Med Biol. 2009;650:1-15. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4419-0296-2_1.
V(D)J recombination is initiated by the synapsis and cleavage of a complementary (12/23) pair of recombination signal sequences (RSSs) by the RAG1 and RAG2 proteins. Our understanding of these processes has been greatly aided by the development of in vitro biochemical assays of RAG binding and cleavage activity. Accumulating evidence suggests that synaptic complex assembly occurs in a step-wise manner and that the RAG proteins catalyze RSS cleavage by mechanisms similar to those used by bacterial transposases. In this chapter we will review the molecular mechanisms of RAG synaptic complex assembly and 12/23-regulated RSS cleavage, focusing on recent advances that shed new light on these processes.
V(D)J重组由RAG1和RAG2蛋白对一对互补的（12/23）重组信号序列（RSS）进行联会和切割而启动。RAG结合和切割活性的体外生化分析技术的发展极大地帮助了我们对这些过程的理解。越来越多的证据表明，突触复合体的组装是逐步进行的，并且RAG蛋白通过与细菌转座酶类似的机制催化RSS切割。在本章中，我们将综述RAG突触复合体组装和12/23调节的RSS切割的分子机制，重点关注为这些过程带来新认识的最新进展。
