F. W. Alt

Contribution of the IGCR1 regulatory element and the 3'Igh CBEs to Regulation of Igh V(D)J Recombination

This study investigates how IGCR1 regulatory elements and 3'Igh CBEs influence RAG-scanning and V(D)J recombination in progenitor-B cells through chromatin loop extrusion and WAPL down-regulation.

Humanized V(D)J-rearranging and TdT-expressing Mouse Vaccine Models with Physiological HIV-1 Broadly Neutralizing Antibody Precursors

This paper introduces new mouse models expressing human HIV-1 broadly neutralizing antibody (bnAb) precursors with more physiological levels and diversity, enhancing vaccine research for bnAb elicitation.

Mutation-Guided Vaccine Design: A Strategy for Developing Boosting Immunogens for HIV Broadly Neutralizing Antibody Induction

The paper demonstrates a mutation-guided vaccine strategy that induces HIV broadly neutralizing antibodies in mice by selecting for rare B cell lineage mutations.

Structural principles of B-cell antigen receptor assembly

This paper reports cryo-EM structures of the IgM BCR and its Fab-deleted form, revealing an asymmetric arrangement and novel structural principles of BCR assembly.

Humanized antibody potently neutralizes all SARS-CoV-2 variants by a novel mechanism

The paper describes a humanized antibody, SP1-77, that neutralizes all SARS-CoV-2 variants by blocking membrane fusion instead of ACE2 receptor binding.

Immunoglobulin enhancers increase RNA polymerase stalling at somatic hypermutation target sequences

The paper shows that immunoglobulin enhancers (DIVACs) increase RNA polymerase stalling at somatic hypermutation target sequences in B cells.

An In Vivo Method for Diversifying the Functions of Therapeutic Antibodies

This paper develops a method to diversify therapeutic antibodies by mimicking natural B cell processes in mice, resulting in new antibodies with altered functions.

Physiological role of the 3'IgH CBEs super-anchor in antibody class switching

The paper shows that deleting all 3IgH CBEs affects germline transcription and CSR of upstream S regions, except S{gamma}1, and causes aberrant CSR rearrangements.

Loop Extrusion Mediates Physiological Locus Contraction for V(D)J Recombination

The paper shows that locus contraction and V(D)J recombination are regulated by circumventing CBE scanning impediments through Wapl-dependent cohesin dynamics.

Conditional Antibody Expression to Avoid Central B Cell Deletion in a Humanized HIV-1 Vaccine Mouse Models

This paper develops a conditional expression strategy to enable mature B cell expression of bnAb precursors in transgenic mice, overcoming developmental blocks caused by bnAb properties.

CTCF orchestrates long-range cohesin-driven V(D)J recombinational scanning

This study shows that CTCF degradation promotes distal VH-to-DJH joining by enabling cohesin-driven RAG-scanning in pro-B cells.

Defective DNA damage repair leads to frequent catastrophic genomic events in murine and human tumors

The paper identifies chromothripsis and chromoanasynthesis in tumors with DNA repair deficiencies and links them to MYC/MYCN amplification and therapeutic opportunities.

Parp3 promotes long-range end-joining in murine cells

This study shows Parp3 promotes chromosomal rearrangements in murine cells, contrasting with Parp1's suppressive role in DNA double-strand break processing.