title: Comparative characterization of rat deoxyribonuclease 1 (Dnase1) and murine deoxyribonuclease 1-like 3 (Dnase1l3).
abstract: Deoxyribonuclease 1 (DNASE1, DNase I) and deoxyribonuclease 1-like 3 (DNASE1L3, DNase gamma, DNase Y, LS-DNase) are members of a DNASE1 protein family that is defined by similar biochemical properties such as Ca2+/Mg2+-dependency and an optimal pH of about 7.0 as well as by a high similarity in their nucleic acid and amino acid sequences. In the present study we describe the recombinant expression of rat Dnase1 and murine Dnase1l3 as fusion proteins tagged by their C-terminus to green fluorescent protein in NIH-3T3 fibroblasts and bovine lens epithelial cells. Both enzymes were translocated into the rough endoplasmic reticulum, transported along the entire secretory pathway and finally secreted into the cell culture medium. No nuclear occurrence of the nucleases was detectable. However, deletion of the N-terminal signal peptide of both nucleases resulted in a cytoplasmic and nuclear distribution of both fusion proteins. Dnase1 preferentially hydrolysed 'naked' plasmid DNA, whereas Dnase1l3 cleaved nuclear DNA with high activity. Dnase1l3 was able to cleave chromatin in an internucleosomal manner without proteolytic help. By contrast, Dnase1 was only able to achieve this cleavage pattern in the presence of proteases that hydrolysed chromatin-bound proteins. Detailed analysis of murine sera derived from Dnase1 knockout mice revealed that serum contains, besides the major serum nuclease Dnase1, an additional Dnase1l3-like nucleolytic activity, which, in co-operation with Dnase1, might help to suppress anti-DNA autoimmunity by degrading nuclear chromatin released from dying cells.
authors.affiliation: Abteilung für Anatomie und Embryologie, Medizinische Fakultät, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Universitätsstrasse 150, D-44780 Bochum, Germany. markus.napirei@ruhr-uni-bochum.de
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Napirei
authors.forename: Swantje
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wulf
authors.forename: Dirk
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Eulitz
authors.forename: Hans Georg
authors.initials: HG
authors.lastname: Mannherz
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kloeckl
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002843:Chromatin / Q000378:metabolism; D003850:Deoxyribonuclease I / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D004706:Endodeoxyribonucleases / Q000097:blood / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D004721:Endoplasmic Reticulum / Q000378:metabolism; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000201:enzymology; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000166:cytology / Q000201:enzymology; D015971:Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic; D007908:Lens, Crystalline / Q000166:cytology; D051379:Mice; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D051381:Rats; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D013045:Species Specificity; D013379:Substrate Specificity
chemical_list: D002843:Chromatin; C114484:Dnase1l3 protein, mouse; D004706:Endodeoxyribonucleases; D003850:Deoxyribonuclease I