Expression data for resting and activated B and T cells

The IgH locus encodes for part of the antibody exposed by B cells and is important for the immune system. In B cells, one allele produces protein, the other must remain silenced. It was proposed that both alleles reside in different nuclear compartments and that this is important to maintain mono-allelic productivity. Here we challenge this concept. We provide detailed genome-wide contact maps, which show that IgH adopts different nuclear locations in immune versus other cells but also demonstrate that in B cells both alleles reside in the same environment. Nuclear positioning is therefore not important to maintain allelic exclusion.

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Holwerda SJ, van de Werken HJ, Ribeiro de Almeida C, Bergen IM, de Bruijn MJ, Verstegen MJ, Simonis M, Splinter E, Wijchers PJ, Hendriks RW, de Laat W