A recombination silencer that specifies heterochromatin positioning and Ikaros association in the immunoglobulin κ locus

Allelic exclusion ensures that individual B lymphocytes produce only one kind of antibody molecule. Previous studies have shown that allelic exclusion of the mouse Ig kappa locus occurs by the combination of monoallelic silencing and a low level of monoallelic activation for rearrangement combined with a negative feedback loop blocking additional functional rearrangements. Using yeast artificial chromosome-based single-copy isotransgenic mice, we have identified a cis-acting element that negatively regulates rearrangement in this locus, specifically in B cells. The element, termed Sis, resides in the V-J intervening sequence. Sis specifies the targeting of Ig kappa transgenes in pre-B and B cells to centromeric heterochromatin and associates with Ikaros, a repressor protein that also colocalizes with centromeric heterochromatin. Significantly, these are hallmarks of silenced endogenous germline Ig kappa genes in B cells. These results lead us to propose that Sis participates in the monoallelic silencing aspect of allelic exclusion regulation.