VDJ Recombination

DNA rearrangements play significant roles in human biology. The mobile DNA segments called transposons are, for example, notable contributors to disease. The HIV retrovirus is a transposable element whose integration into the human genome results in the irreversible association of the virus with its host. Bacterial transposons provide additional examples, as they promote the widespread dissemination of antibiotic resistance among bacteria. Although these elements inhabit the genomes of very different host organisms, the DNA breakage and joining reactions that underlie their transposition are chemically very similar. Furthermore, the retroviral integrases and bacterial transposases responsible for movement of these elements are structurally related and are members of the retroviral integrase superfamily of transposases.