Age-dependent variation of rates of polyadenosine-diphosphoribose synthesis by cardiocyte nuclei and the lack of correlation of enzymatic activity with macromolecular size distribution of DNA.

Cardiocyte nuclei from neonate (5-day-old) and from adult (90-day-old) male Wistar rats were selectively isolated by a technique that eliminates interference by noncardiocyte nuclei (Jackowski, G., and Liew, C. C. (1980) Biochem. J. 188, 363-373). Polyadenosine-diphosphoribose synthetase activity of cardiocyte nuclei of neonates was ten times greater than in nuclei of adult rats, as calculated from initial velocity linear rate measurements. The molecular size of DNA extracted from cardiocyte nuclei of neonates was significantly larger (peak at 54 S) than DNA of cardiocyte nuclei of adults (peak at 33 S) as determined by alkaline sucrose density gradient ultracentrifugation (Knopf, K. W., and Weissbach, A. (1977) Biochemistry 16, 3190-3194). Comparison of the molecular sizes of DNA extracted from whole cardiac tissue with DNA isolated from cardiocyte nuclei shows that no DNA fragmentation takes place during the process of isolation of nuclei. Polyadenosine-diphosphoribose glycohydrolase activity was about 30% higher in cardiocyte nuclei of neonates than in adults, but the activity represents only 10% of the rate of the synthetase. Results demonstrate that polyadenosine-diphosphoribose metabolism in differentiated tissues is not directly related to the molecular size of DNA.