IgH class switch recombination to IgG1 in DNA-PKcs-deficient B cells

To assess the role of the DNA-PKcs nonhomologous DNA end-joining (NHEJ) protein in Ig heavy chain class switch recombination (CSR), we assayed CSR ability of DNA-PKcs-deficient (DP-T) B cells generated via complementation of DP-T mice with Ig heavy chain and light chain knockin transgenes (DP-T/HC/LC mice). DP-T/HC/LC mice were severely deficient for all serum IgH isotypes except IgM and, unexpectedly, IgG1. Upon appropriate stimulation, DP-T/HC/LC B cells showed normal proliferation, germline CH gene transcription, and AID induction, indicating that DNA-PKcs deficiency did not affect cellular events upstream to CSR. Yet, in vitro activated DP-T/HC/LC B cells again underwent switching only to IgG1 and, like wild-type cells, frequently underwent CSR to gamma1 on both chromosomes. We conclude that DNA-PKcs is required for CSR to most C-H genes but that CSR to gamma1 occurs via a DNA-PKcs-independent mechanism.