The metabolism of nucleic acids in mice.
The metabolism of three forms of nucleic acid, native-DNA (N-DNA), single strand DNA (SS-DNA), and polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid (poly I : C), was investigated in vivo in randomly bred Swiss-Webster mice. Clearance of these substances from the circulation and tissue localization were determined at selected time intervals following the intravenous injection of 125I-labelled compounds. N- and ss-DNA were removed from the circulation more rapidly than was poly I : C. All three materials localized principally in reticuloendothelial-rich organs, i.e. liver and spleen. N-DNA was degraded by the liver more slowly than was poly I : C or ss-DNA. At 4 h following injection, the liver contained 26%, 13%, and 10% of the injected doses, respectively. Three days after injection, 4.5% of the N-DNA persisted in the liver, as compared to only 0.6% of the poly I : C, and 0.2% of the ss-DNA. The possiblity that these differences in metabolism of N-DNA, poly I: C, and ss-DNA may be related to their differing immunogenic potentials in experimental systems is discussed.
D000818:Animals; D004247:DNA / Q000378:metabolism*; D004277:DNA, Single-Stranded / Q000378:metabolism; D005753:Gastric Mucosa / Q000378:metabolism; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008657:Metabolic Clearance Rate; D051379:Mice; D008970:Molecular Weight; D011070:Poly I-C / Q000378:metabolism*; D013154:Spleen / Q000378:metabolism; D014018:Tissue Distribution
D004277:DNA, Single-Stranded; D004247:DNA; D011070:Poly I-C