Anti-AICDA antibody - Aminoterminal end

Supplementary info

This supplementary information is collated from multiple sources and compiled automatically.

Activity summary

AICDA also known as activation-induced cytidine deaminase is an enzyme with a molecular mass of approximately 25 kDa. It is expressed in germinal center B cells within the lymphoid tissues particularly in the spleen and lymph nodes. AICDA catalyzes the deamination of cytidine to uridine in single-stranded DNA an essential step in the processes of somatic hypermutation and class switch recombination. These mechanisms are important for antibody diversity and specificity in the adaptive immune response.

Biological function summary

AICDA plays an important role in the adaptive immune system by facilitating the diversification of antibodies. It does not appear to function as part of a larger protein complex but operates independently to induce mutations in variable regions of immunoglobulin genes. This activity enables B cells to produce antibodies with higher affinity and different isotypes important for an effective immune defense system. AICDA’s function ensures the generation of diverse antibody repertoires allowing the immune system to effectively target a wide range of pathogens.

Pathways

AICDA is integral to the immunoglobulin gene diversification pathway. It initiates somatic hypermutation and class switch recombination by deaminating cytosine residues in the DNA of immunoglobulin genes. This action relates AICDA to other proteins involved in DNA repair and error-prone replication such as uracil-DNA glycosylase (UNG) and the mismatch repair proteins like MSH2 and MSH6. AICDA's deamination activity triggers the recruitment of these proteins to introduce mutations and remove uracil residues facilitating the generation of antibody diversity.

Associated diseases and disorders

Aberrant AICDA activity associates with lymphomas and autoimmune conditions. For example dysregulation of AICDA could contribute to oncogenic mutations leading to non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Additionally incorrect or unscheduled activation of AICDA might result in the production of autoantibodies implicated in autoimmune disorders like systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). AICDA’s interaction with DNA repair proteins during misguided activation may lead to genomic instability linking it to both tumorigenesis and autoimmunity.