Monoclonal neutralizing antibodies against DNA polymerase-alpha substantially inhibit nuclear DNA replication in lysolecithin-permeabilized cultured human fibroblasts. The degree of inhibition of DNA synthesis is proportional to antibody concentration, and the effect is specific in that RNA synthesis measured under the same experimental conditions is unperturbed. Autoradiographic data demonstrate that the magnitude of the inhibition measured in the mass culture reflects the uniform response of all the constituent cells in the target population. These observations confirm the participation of DNA polymerase-alpha in replicative DNA synthesis and identify a versatile, novel approach to the dissection of mammalian processes of DNA replication and repair.