Switch circles from IL-4-directed epsilon class switching from human B lymphocytes. Evidence for direct, sequential, and multiple step sequential switch from mu to epsilon Ig heavy chain gene.

Ig isotype switch via deletional recombination is accompanied by excision of the intervening DNA between the two switch regions. The excised DNA is looped out as extrachromosomal circular DNA or switch circle. Such switch circles have been isolated and characterized in mice. We investigated deletional recombination in human B cells undergoing Ig isotype switching to demonstrate whether switch circles are also excised, and to thereby gain insight into the processes involved in human isotype switching. We characterized the deleted switch circular DNA from IL-4 directed mu to epsilon switching in polyclonal human B lymphocytes. By using two sets of specially designed PCR primers, we amplified switch circle fragments representing switch circles resulting from mu to epsilon direct switching and mu-gamma-epsilon sequential switching. The PCR-amplified products were subcloned by a TA cloning strategy and resulting clones were screened by hybridization with a 5'S epsilon probe. Sequence analysis of the positive clones revealed that all clones representing mu to epsilon direct switching indeed had 5'S epsilon directly joined to 3' S mu. Most clones representing mu-gamma-epsilon sequential switching showed 5'S epsilon joined to 3' S gamma as expected. However, two clones contained S mu and S alpha 1 sequences interposed between 5'S epsilon and 3'S gamma, respectively. These data demonstrate that switch circles are excised during human B cell isotype switching, and that IL-4 directed epsilon class switching is accomplished by 1) direct mu to epsilon switching, 2) sequential mu-gamma-epsilon switching, and 3) double sequential mu-alpha-gamma-epsilon switching.