DNA Deamination and the Immune System

Covers the understanding of the role of activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID) in the generation of antibody response to antigenic challenge.

This book covers the current understanding of the role of activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID) in the generation of antibody response to antigenic challenge. Since the discovery of AID, and the genetic demonstration of its role in somatic hypermutation and class-switch recombination of antibody genes, much has been learned about the biochemistry of this enzyme. However, some key questions remain hotly contested, such as: how does this enzyme get to the antibody locus leaving the rest of the genome intact, and why are DNA repair pathways which normally repair deamination events co-opted into actually fixing mutations into the genome? These questions, among others, will be addressed in this monograph from various perspectives. Being leading experts in their respective fields, the contributors of this highly valued title summarize current research in the field of AID and put forth hypotheses in order to provide a platform for future experiments.