Biomaterial Database

Antibodies specific for left-handed Z-DNA. 1981

E M Lafer, and A Möller, and A Nordheim, and B D Stollar, and A Rich

We prepared a brominated poly(dG-dC).poly(dG-dC) which forms a stable Z-DNA helix under physiological salt conditions. Rabbits and mice were immunized with brominated and unbrominated poly(dG-dC).poly(dG-dC) complexed with methylated bovine serum albumin. Antibodies specific for Z-DNA were produced. These antibodies were found not only in the sera of animals immunized with the low-salt stabilized Z-DNA [Br-poly(dG-dC).poly(dG-dC)] but also in sera from animals immunized with the unbrominated B-DNA form of the polymer. From this it is inferred that the unbrominated poly(dG-dC).poly(dG-dC) was partially converted to Z-DNA by its combination with the basic protein methylated bovine serum albumin. In addition to specific anti-Z-DNA antibody populations, two other interesting types of antibody populations were found. One of these reacted with both the Z and B forms of poly(dG-dC).poly(dG-dC). This antibody may be converting the polymer from the B-DNA to the Z-DNA form. The other type of antibody was specific for a B form of poly(dG-dC).poly(dG-dC) and did not react at all with the Z form. The antibodies raised to Z-DNA were shown to be highly specific for Z-DNA and did not react with B-DNA, RNA, DNA.RNA hybrids, or a number of other polynucleotides. This specificity for Z-DNA will make possible their use as reagents for determining the presence of Z-DNA in biological systems. Sera of autoimmune lupus mice were also shown to have a considerable amount of naturally occurring anti-Z-DNA antibody activity.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008180	Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic	A chronic, relapsing, inflammatory, and often febrile multisystemic disorder of connective tissue, characterized principally by involvement of the skin, joints, kidneys, and serosal membranes. It is of unknown etiology, but is thought to represent a failure of the regulatory mechanisms of the autoimmune system. The disease is marked by a wide range of system dysfunctions, an elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and the formation of LE cells in the blood or bone marrow.	Libman-Sacks Disease,Lupus Erythematosus Disseminatus,Systemic Lupus Erythematosus,Disease, Libman-Sacks,Libman Sacks Disease
D009690	Nucleic Acid Conformation	The spatial arrangement of the atoms of a nucleic acid or polynucleotide that results in its characteristic 3-dimensional shape.	DNA Conformation,RNA Conformation,Conformation, DNA,Conformation, Nucleic Acid,Conformation, RNA,Conformations, DNA,Conformations, Nucleic Acid,Conformations, RNA,DNA Conformations,Nucleic Acid Conformations,RNA Conformations
D011863	Radioimmunoassay	Classic quantitative assay for detection of antigen-antibody reactions using a radioactively labeled substance (radioligand) either directly or indirectly to measure the binding of the unlabeled substance to a specific antibody or other receptor system. Non-immunogenic substances (e.g., haptens) can be measured if coupled to larger carrier proteins (e.g., bovine gamma-globulin or human serum albumin) capable of inducing antibody formation.	Radioimmunoassays
D001966	Bromine	A halogen with the atomic symbol Br, atomic number 35, and atomic weight 79.904. It is a volatile reddish-brown liquid that gives off suffocating vapors, is corrosive to the skin, and may cause severe gastroenteritis if ingested.	Bromine-79,Bromine 79
D002942	Circular Dichroism	A change from planar to elliptic polarization when an initially plane-polarized light wave traverses an optically active medium. (McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms, 4th ed)	Circular Dichroism, Vibrational,Dichroism, Circular,Vibrational Circular Dichroism
D004247	DNA	A deoxyribonucleotide polymer that is the primary genetic material of all cells. Eukaryotic and prokaryotic organisms normally contain DNA in a double-stranded state, yet several important biological processes transiently involve single-stranded regions. DNA, which consists of a polysugar-phosphate backbone possessing projections of purines (adenine and guanine) and pyrimidines (thymine and cytosine), forms a double helix that is held together by hydrogen bonds between these purines and pyrimidines (adenine to thymine and guanine to cytosine).	DNA, Double-Stranded,Deoxyribonucleic Acid,ds-DNA,DNA, Double Stranded,Double-Stranded DNA,ds DNA
D000818	Animals	Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA.	Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D000906	Antibodies	Immunoglobulin molecules having a specific amino acid sequence by virtue of which they interact only with the ANTIGEN (or a very similar shape) that induced their synthesis in cells of the lymphoid series (especially PLASMA CELLS).
D000918	Antibody Specificity	The property of antibodies which enables them to react with some ANTIGENIC DETERMINANTS and not with others. Specificity is dependent on chemical composition, physical forces, and molecular structure at the binding site.	Antibody Specificities,Specificities, Antibody,Specificity, Antibody
D051379	Mice	The common name for the genus Mus.	Mice, House,Mus,Mus musculus,Mice, Laboratory,Mouse,Mouse, House,Mouse, Laboratory,Mouse, Swiss,Mus domesticus,Mus musculus domesticus,Swiss Mice,House Mice,House Mouse,Laboratory Mice,Laboratory Mouse,Mice, Swiss,Swiss Mouse,domesticus, Mus musculus