Changes in nuclear antigens during reactivation of chick erythrocyte nuclei in heterokaryons

Reactivation of dormant chick erythrocyte (CE) nuclei was studied by fusing chick red cells with rat myoblasts, HeLa cells, and chick fibroblasts. Heterokaryons representing different stages of nuclear reactivation were fixed and examined for nuclear antigens using polyclonal patient autoantisera reacting with mammalian (human, mouse, and rat) nuclear envelope, nucleoplasm, and chromatin (DNA) antigens. Reactivation of CE nuclei was associated with marked changes in nuclear antigenicity. In rat myoblast and HeLa heterokaryons the CE nuclei acquired mammalian nucleoplasmic and nuclear envelope antigens in the corresponding nuclear subcompartments. Drastic changes in nuclear antigenicity were noted also in heterokaryons stained with DNA antisera. The compact chromatin of nuclei in mature chick erythrocytes showed little binding of DNA antibodies. Isolated nuclei on the other hand gave a strong immunofluorescence. CE nuclei in heterokaryons were strongly positive during the early stages of nuclear reactivation but then exhibited decreased reactivity. An unexpected finding was a marked reduction in the capacity of mammalian nuclei in heterokaryons to bind DNA-antibodies. This observation is discussed in relation to the previous finding that in CE-heterokaryons these nuclei often show reduced transcription and replication. The present results indicate that in heterokaryons both types of nuclei exchange macromolecules of regulatory importance via the common cytoplasm.