DNA synthetic activity of nuclei isolated from differentiating cardiac muscle and association of DNA polymerase alpha with the outer nuclear membrane

Localization of DNA polymerase alpha on the nuclear membrane in sea urchin embryos

Subnuclear localization of DNA polymerase alpha was studied in sea urchin embryos. Blastula nuclei treated with EDTA and potassium phosphate released subnuclear components bearing most of the nuclear DNA polymerase alpha. These components were suggested to be a part of nuclear membrane based on their buoyant densities (1.177 and 1.136 g/cm3) in isopyknic centrifugation and the nuclear pore-like structure. Contamination with DNA and endoplasmic reticulum membrane to the subnuclear components was shown to be negligible. These results suggested that DNA polymerase alpha associates with nuclear membrane of sea urchin embryos. Nuclear membrane deprived of DNA polymerase alpha was able to associate with nuclear DNA polymerase alpha from blastulae and the cytoplasmic enzyme of unfertilized eggs efficiently, but not with the cytoplasmic enzyme of gastrulae. This result suggests that the nuclear membrane is originates from the endoplasmic reticulum with which DNA polymerase alpha associates in unfertilized eggs.

Changes in non-histone nuclear proteins during postnatal myocardial development

Myocardial-cell nuclei isolated from ventricles of rats between 4 days and 15 months of age showed a progressive loss of DNA-synthetic activity in vitro. Correlated with this loss is the differential appearance of three major groups of non-histone nuclear proteins. Group a, with pI5.7-6.5 and Mr 67000, appeared in detectable amounts in rats more than 10 days of age, whereas group b, consisting of proteins with pI6.8-7.2 and Mr 45000, appeared in rats older than 33 days. The third group (group c), with pI6.5-8.5 and Mr 32000-42000, was present throughout postnatal development, but the amount of these proteins appeared to be greater in the 10-day-old rat than in the 15-month-old rat. All groups of these specific proteins were localized within the nucleus and did not reflect cytoplasmic constituents. Furthermore, the amino acid compositions of these polypeptides were also analysed and compared with those of actin and tubulin.