Alteration of the DNA of a somatic cell that is inherited by its daughter cells
Somatic recombination , as opposed to the genetic recombination that occurs in meiosis , is an alteration of the DNA of a somatic cell that is inherited by its daughter cells. The term is usually reserved for large-scale alterations of DNA such as chromosomal translocations and deletions and not applied to point mutations . Somatic recombination occurs physiologically in the assembly of the B cell receptor and T-cell receptor genes (V(D)J recombination ),[ 1] as well as in the class switching of immunoglobulins .[ 2] Somatic recombination is also important in the process of carcinogenesis .[ 3]
In neurons of the human brain , somatic recombination occurs in the gene that encodes the amyloid precursor protein APP.[ 4] Neurons from individuals with sporadic Alzheimer's disease show greater APP gene diversity due to somatic recombination than neurons from healthy individuals.[ 4]
^ Gellert M (1992). "Molecular analysis of V(D)J recombination". Annu Rev Genet . 26 : 425– 46. doi :10.1146/annurev.ge.26.120192.002233 . PMID 1482120 .
^ Hein K, Lorenz MG, Siebenkotten G, et al. (1998). "Processing of switch transcripts is required for targeting of antibody class switch recombination" . J Exp Med . 188 (12): 2369– 74. doi :10.1084/jem.188.12.2369 . PMC 2212419 . PMID 9858523 .
^ Ramel C, Cederberg H, Magnusson J, et al. (1996). "Somatic recombination, gene amplification and cancer". Mutat Res . 353 (1– 2): 85– 107. Bibcode :1996MRFMM.353...85R . doi :10.1016/0027-5107(95)00243-x . PMID 8692194 .
^ a b Lee MH, Siddoway B, Kaeser GE, Segota I, Rivera R, Romanow WJ, Liu CS, Park C, Kennedy G, Long T, Chun J (November 2018). "Somatic APP gene recombination in Alzheimer's disease and normal neurons" . Nature . 563 (7733): 639– 645. Bibcode :2018Natur.563..639L . doi :10.1038/s41586-018-0718-6 . PMC 6391999 . PMID 30464338 .