ANTI-CA2-DEPENDENT ENDONUCLEASE ANTIBODY DETECTS SPECIFICALLY A CLASSOF CHROMATIN-BOUND ENDONUCLEASE(, MG2+)

A polyclonal antibody against purified bull seminal plasma Ca2+, Mg2+- dependent endonuclease was raised in a rabbit. The antibody specifical ly cross-reacted with chromatin-bound Ca2+, Mg2+-dependent endonucleas es from bovine thymus, human placenta, and bovine, rat and mouse liver in addition to the bovine seminal enzyme. The antibody did not cross- react with other endonucleases examined, including the acid-endonuclea ses from bovine thymus and liver, porcine spleen DNase II, micrococcal nuclease, and bovine pancreas DNase I, a known Ca2+ and Mg2+ requirin g endonuclease. The present results indicate that this antibody specif ically recognizes a class of so-called Ca2+, Mg2+-dependent endonuclea se, which is localized in cell nuclei of various tissues and is probab ly involved in chromatin degradation during apoptosis, The antibody wi ll be used to study the functional role of this class of endonuclease. (C) 1997 Academic Press.