title: Evidence that DNA fragmentation in apoptosis is initiated and propagated by single-strand breaks.
abstract: Apoptosis is characterised by the degradation of DNA into a specific pattern of high and low molecular weight fragments seen on agarose gels as a distribution of sizes between 50-300 kb and sometimes, but not always, a ladder of smaller oligonucleosomal fragments. Using a 2D pulsed field-conventional agarose gel electrophoresis technique, where the second dimension is run under either normal or denaturing conditions, we show that single-strand breaks are introduced into DNA at the initial stages of fragmentation. Using single-strand specific nuclease probes we further show that the complete fragmentation pattern, including release of small oligonucleosomal fragments can also be generated by a single-strand endonuclease. Three classes of sites where single-strand breaks accumulate were identified. The initial breaks produce a distribution of fragment sizes (50 kb to >1 Mb) similar to those generated by Topoisomerase II inhibitors suggesting that cleavage may commence at sites of attachment of DNA to the nuclear matrix. A second class of rare sites is also cut further reducing the size distribution of the fragments to 50-300 kb. Thirdly, single-strand breaks accumulate at the linker region between nucleosomes eventually causing double-strand scissions which release oligonucleosomes. These observations further define the properties of the endonuclease responsible for DNA fragmentation in apoptosis.
authors.affiliation: Apoptosis Research Group, Institute for Biological Sciences, National Research Council of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A OR6, Canada. roy.walker@nrc.ca
authors.forename: P R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Walker
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: LeBlanc
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sikorska