Persistent cytoplasmic location of a DNA polymerase beta in sea urchins during development

A subcellular localization study of a low molecular weight DNA polymerase beta indicates that this enzyme, as well as a high molecular weight DNA polymerase alpha, is found in large quantities in the cytoplasm of Strongylocentrotus purpuratus eggs. The two enzyme activities are distinguished by DEAE-sievorptive chromatography and by their differential activities with activated DNA and oligo(dT)10 . poly(dA)200 primer-templates. Using an enucleation procedure, it is concluded that an extremely low proportion if any, of both polymerases is present in the egg nucleus. At blastula stage, a period of rapid cell proliferation, similar studies of DNA polymerase subcellular localization using two different methods of nuclear isolation indicate that the DNA polymerase beta remains largely cytoplasmic while the alpha enzyme is found to be predominantly nuclear. Since the results for the alpha enzyme agree with previous reports (Loeb, L.A. (1969) J. Biol. Chem. 244, 1672) and since one method of nuclear isolation, using hypotonic solutions, enables us to recover both DNA polymerase alpha and beta activities in isolated mouse L-cell nuclei, the enzyme quantitation of isolated sea urchin nuclei is considered accurate. Thus, although there is a translocation of the polymerase alpha from a cytoplasmic to nuclear site during early embryonic development, such a massive relocalization of the polymerase beta does not occur.