In Vivo oligonucleotide-protein interactions in the blood

The interaction of oligonucleotides with serum proteins was studiedin vivo by the method of affinity modification. Alkylating oligonucleotide derivatives administered to animals induced the formation of oligonucleotide-protein complexes circulating in the blood for a long-time. Oligonucleotides in these complexes were partially protected from nucleases. The major oligonucleotide-binding proteins identified with specific antibodies were albumins and IgG. In the erythrocyte fraction no specific oligonucleotide-binding proteins were detected, while membrane-cytosolic leukocyte fraction contained an oligonucleotide-binding protein with a molecular weight of 72 kD. Translated fromByulleten' Eksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 127, No. 6, pp. 654–657, June, 1999