title: Immunogenicity of Z-DNA depends on the size of polynucleotide presented in complexes with methylated BSA.
abstract: The importance of polynucleotide size for immunogenicity was tested with size-fractionated Z-DNA. High molecular weight Z-DNA, larger than 1000 bp, was fragmented by digestion with micrococcal nuclease. Fractions corresponding to less than 60, 60-120, 100-200, 200-400 and 400-900 bp were isolated by gel filtration on Sepharose 4B. These fractions and the greater than 1000 bp Z-DNA were mixed with methylated BSA and the complexes were injected into C57BL/6 mice with RIBI adjuvant. Only one of four mice responded to the less than 60 bp immunogen. All the fractions larger than 60 bp induced specific anti-Z-DNA antibodies, mostly of IgG isotype, in all animals injected. Fractions larger than 200 bp induced antisera of higher titer than did 60-120 or 100-200 bp fractions. All positive sera reacted with Z-DNA but not with B-DNA and only very weakly with denatured DNA. In competitive assays, similar concentrations of fragments larger than 60 bp inhibited binding to immobilized Z-DNA. A higher concentration of less than 60 bp fragments was required for competitive binding. Even for a highly immunogenic nucleic acid that differs from the B-DNA conformation, a polynucleotide larger than 100 bp is much more immunogenic than smaller fragments.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Tufts University School of Medicine, Dental Medicine and Veterinary Medicine, Boston, MA.
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Edgington
authors.forename: B D
authors.initials: BD
authors.lastname: Stollar
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000917:Antibody Formation; D004247:DNA / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D007114:Immunization; D008745:Methylation; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008970:Molecular Weight; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D011119:Polynucleotides / Q000276:immunology*; D012710:Serum Albumin, Bovine / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D011119:Polynucleotides; D012710:Serum Albumin, Bovine; D004247:DNA