Promotion of V(D)J recombinational accessibility by the intronic Ek element: role of the κB motif

The accessibility of a chromosomally integrated TCR beta minilocus recombination substrate in a V(D)J recombinase-inducible cell line (HDR37) depends on incorporation of transcriptional enhancer elements such as the Ig kappa light chain intronic enhancer (E kappa). The E kappa element contains several functional motifs including the kappa B motif, which binds the NF-kappa B transcription factor. To assess molecular mechanisms by which E kappa promotes V(D)J recombinational accessibility, we compared the abilities of the wild-type E kappa, a corresponding E kappa sequence with a mutant kappa B motif (E kappa-kappa B-) and a kappa B motif dimer (kappa B2) to function in the context of the TCR beta minilocus/HDR37 system. The E kappa-containing minilocus underwent demethylation, transcription and V(D)J recombination, independently of copy number of integration site. Transfectants containing low copy numbers (one or two) of the E kappa-kappa B(-)-containing minilocus, like enhancerless or kappa B2-containing miniloci at any copy number, were inactive with respect to all three processes. In contrast, high-copy-number integrants of the E kappa-kappa B- substrates showed an integration-site dependent activation of all three processes. Together these data show that the kappa B motif plays a critical role in the ability of E kappa to confer V(D)J recombinational accessibility, but that it is not sufficient to mediate this process by itself.