DNA polymerases delta and epsilon in developing and aging rat brain

Our study reveals the presence of DNA polymerases delta and epsilon, participating in DNA replication and repair, along with already known polymerases alpha and beta, in the developing and aging rat brain. This was achieved through a protocol that takes advantage of the reported differential sensitivities of different DNA polymerases towards certain inhibitors such as butylphenyl and butylanilino nucleotide analogs, 2', 3'-dideoxythymidine triphosphate, the monoclonal antibody of human polymerase alpha and the use of preferred template primers and proliferating cell nuclear antigen. The results indicate that while polymerase beta seems to be the predominant one, significant levels of polymerases alpha, delta and epsilon are also present at all the postnatal ages studied and that the relative proportion of polymerase epsilon increases with age. The data suggest that the rat brain is equipped with a sustained DNA repair capacity throughout the life span. (C) 1997 ISDN.