Somatic recombination
Alteration of the DNA of a somatic cell that is inherited by its daughter cells / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Somatic recombination, as opposed to the genetic recombination that occurs in meiosis, is an alteration of the DNA of a somatic cell that is inherited by its daughter cells. The term is usually reserved for large-scale alterations of DNA such as chromosomal translocations and deletions and not applied to point mutations. Somatic recombination occurs physiologically in the assembly of the B cell receptor and T-cell receptor genes (V(D)J recombination),[1] as well as in the class switching of immunoglobulins.[2] Somatic recombination is also important in the process of carcinogenesis.[3]
In neurons of the human brain, somatic recombination occurs in the gene that encodes the amyloid precursor protein APP.[4] Neurons from individuals with sporadic Alzheimer's disease show greater APP gene diversity due to somatic recombination than neurons from healthy individuals.[4]