Effect of activation of Ca2+, Mg2+-dependent endonuclease on proliferative response of human peripheral blood lymphocytes

Activity of Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺-dependent endonuclease in human peripheral blood mononuclears is studied. Intact cells exhibit extremely low activity of the enzyme. Treatment with the synthetic hexapeptide imunofan considerably stimulates endonuclease activity in mononuclears. This activation does not depend on additional protein synthesis. An 1-h incubation in the presence of cycloheximide also activates Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺-dependent endonuclease. These data suggest that imunofant and/or cycloheximide activate the apoptotic cascade. This leads to activation of endonuclease, which is not synthesizedde novo but persists in the cell in the form of inactive precursor. Translated fromByulleten' Eksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 123, No. 5, pp. 535–537, May, 1997