ANTIBODY AGAINST SINGLE-STRANDED-DNA DETECTS BOTH PROGRAMMED CELL-DEATH AND DRUG-INDUCED APOPTOSIS

Cyclophosphamide induced fragmented nuclei in mouse thymic epithelial cells. Agarose gel electrophoresis showed the fragmentation of the DNA extracted from mouse thymus exposed to cyclophosphamide. The cell dea th induced by cyclophosphamide was considered to be apoptotic. Polyclo nal antibody against single-stranded DNA was used immunohistochemicall y to detect apoptotic cell death in thymic epithelial cells. This anti body also detected programmed cell death in the interdigital necrotic zone of the mouse limb plate on day 14 of gestation, and in the gangli on of the trigeminal nerve on day 13 of gestation. These results show that the antibody specific for single-stranded DNA detected both drug- induced apoptosis and programmed cell death during embryogenesis.