Ionic regulation of endonuclease activity in PC12 cells.

We have investigated the Ca2+ dependency of DNA degradation into nucleosome-sized fragments in intact chromaffin-like PC12 cells and PC12 nuclear fractions. In intact cells we were unable to trigger DNA fragmentation by inducing either transient or sustained elevations of cytoplasmic Ca2+ ([Ca2+]i) with the Ca2+ ionophore ionomycin. On the contrary, DNA fragmentation was induced in intact cells by the intracellular Zn2+ chelator NNN'N'-tetrakis-(2-pyridylmethyl)ethylenediamine (TPEN). To characterize further PC12 cell endonuclease activity, we then investigated digestion by purified PC12 cell fractions of exogenously added plasmids. In nuclear fractions two endonuclease activities were identified: an acidic (pH 5.0) endonuclease activity that was fully Ca2+- and Mg(2+)-independent; and a neutral (pH 7.6) endonuclease activity that was Ca(2+)-independent but Mg(2+)-dependent. Both endonuclease activities were inhibited by Zn2+. Nuclear membrane permeabilization greatly enhanced plasmid digestion at pH 7.6, but not at pH 5.0. This suggests that neutral endonuclease was located in a membrane-bound compartment, whereas acidic endonuclease was freely accessible to the substrate even in the presence of an intact nuclear membrane. In intact nuclei, digestion of genomic DNA could not be triggered by increasing the bivalent cation composition of the medium. On the contrary, in hypotonic medium we observed a large spontaneous nucleolytic DNA degradation that was increased by Zn2+ chelation. However, an acidic pH shift was a potent stimulus for DNA fragmentation in isotonic as well as hypotonic medium.