RAG Represents a Widespread Threat to the Lymphocyte Genome - (ChIP-seq)

The RAG1 endonuclease, together with its cofactor RAG2, is essential for V(D)J recombination but is a potent threat to genome stability. The sources of RAG1 mistargeting and the mechanisms that have evolved to suppress it are poorly understood. Here, we report the surprising finding that RAG1 binds to thousands of sites in the genome of developing lymphocytes, primarily at active promoters and enhancers. The genome has responded by reducing the abundance of "cryptic" recombination signals near sites of RAG1 binding. This depletion operates specifically on the RSS heptamer, with nonamers enriched at RAG1 binding sites. Reversing this RAG-driven depletion of cleavage sites by insertion of strong recombination signals creates an ectopic hub of RAG-mediated V(D)J recombination and chromosomal translocations. Our findings delineate rules governing RAG binding in the genome, identify areas at risk of RAG-mediated damage, and highlight the evolutionary struggle to accommodate programmed DNA damage in developing lymphocytes. RAG1,RAG2 and H3K4me3 ChIP-seq profiles of human thymocytes, mouse thymocytes and preB cells, and Abelson pre-B cell line treated with STI-571