Helia Nasrollahi Sanchez

As we have suggested, epigenetic factors, such as histone deacetylases (HDACs), play critical roles in modulating the maturation of the antibody response. This entails class switch DNA recombination (CSR) and somatic hypermutation (SHM). CSR and SHM require AID and diversify the specificity and effector functions of antibodies.

Estrogen contributes to the elevated antibody response to vaccines in women and the female bias of autoimmune responses, likely by increasing class-switched and hypermutated antibodies and pathogenic autoantibodies. As we have shown, estrogen potentiates the induction of AID, which is critical for class switch DNA recombination (CSR) and somatic hypermutation (SHM), through upregulation of HoxC4. Estrogen may also alter AID gene expression through epigenetic modifications.