Analysis of 2',5'-oligoadenylates in cells and tissues

Complex mixtures of 2',5'-oligoadenylates are formed in cells and tissues under several different circumstances, and methods for analyzing such mixtures are reviewed. Separation is achieved by high-performance liquid chromatography and quantitation by competition-binding assays, using three different types of antibodies or a specific binding protein, or by functional assay, using preparations of an endonuclease specifically activated by some of the 2',5'-oligoadenylates. Representative results from three different biological systems are presented. The function of 2',5'-oligoadenylates as activators of intracellular RNA degradation is discussed, along with the possibility that these compounds may serve as signals for other intracellular regulatory processes.