Taking into account recently obtained data indicating the participation of circulating extracellular DNA (exDNA) in tumorigenesis, enzymes with deoxyribonucleic activity have again been considered as potential antitumour and antimetastatic drugs. Previously, using murine Lewis lung carcinoma and hepatocellular carcinoma A1 tumour models, we have shown the antimetastatic activity of bovine DNase...

DNA ligase and DNase levels were measured in cell-free extracts from untreated mouse erythroleukemia (MEL) cells and from cells treated with dimethyl sulfoxide (Me2SO) to induce erythroid differentiation. The DNase activity present in the extracts was sensitive to inhibition by G-actin and was, therefore, presumed to be DNase I. When the MEL cells were induced to differentiate by culturing in t...

DNase autoantibodies (Abs) can be found in the blood of patients with several autoimmune diseases, while the blood of healthy donors or patients with diseases with insignificant disturbances of the immune status does not contain the DNase Abs. Here we have analysed for the first time the DNase activity in the patients with diseases caused by several bacterial infections. Several rigid criteria ...

Deoxyribonuclease II (DNase II) is also known as acid deoxyribonuclease because it has optimal activity at the low pH environment of lysosomes where it is typically found in higher eukaryotes. Interestingly, DNase II has also been identified in a few genera of bacteria and is believed to have arisen via horizontal transfer. Here, we demonstrate that recombinant Burkholderia thailandensis DNase ...

We previously identified three distinct DNA endonucleases, DNases α, β and γ, present in rat thymocyte nuclei. On the basis of their enzymic and biochemical properties, γ-type DNase was regarded as a candidate for the apoptotic endonuclease. Here we purified DNase γ to apparent homogeneity from apoptotic rat thymocyte nuclei induced by X-irradiation and characterized its properties in detail. T...

After androgen ablation by castration, the epithelial cells of the rat ventral prostate are eliminated by apoptosis. The number of cells showing apoptotic chromatin degradation increases with time up to day 3 after castration as verified by in situ end labeling of fragmented DNA. Apoptotic chromatin degradation is catalyzed by a Ca2+, Mg2+-dependent endonuclease. Recently, evidence has been pre...

Recently reporting in Science, Nakagawa et al. describe an unexpected role for Dicer in chromosome fragmentation during apoptosis in C. elegans. They find that cleavage of DCR-1 by the caspase CED-3 redirects its regulatory activity, by destroying its dsRNase activity while activating an intrinsic DNase activity.

T7 gene 6 exonuclease has been shown to have an RNase H activity as well as a double-strand specific DNase activity by the following experiments: The RNase H activity coelutes with the DNase activity from DEAE-cellulose, phosphocellulose, hydroxyapatite, and Sephadex G-200 columns. Gene 6 exonuclease specified by a T7 strain with a temperature sensitive mutation in gene 6 has an extremely heat-...

The ATP-dependent DNase activity of Escherichia coli disappeared or was markedly reduced after infection with double-stranded DNA phages, T2, T3, T4, T5, T6, T7, lambda, phi80, and P1, but not with the single-stranded DNA phage f1, or the RNA phage Qbeta. This DNase activity was not reduced when chloramphenicol was added prior to phage infection.

Group A streptococci (GAS) express up to four types of secreted DNases. Although GAS infections are correlated with the production of anti-DNase B antibodies, the roles of DNases in the pathogenesis of GAS infections remain unclear. From a lambda library of serotype M49 strain CS101 GAS genome, a 2,147-bp fragment expressing DNase activity on an indicator agar was identified and sequenced. One ...