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Chromatin Degradation in Isolated Nuclei of Normal and Transformed Baby Hamster Kidney Cells¹

Department of Chemical Cytology, University of Nijmegen, Toernooiveld, 6525 ED Nijmegen, The Netherlands

In a transformed cell line, derived from baby hamster kidney cells by treatment with ethylnitrosourea, degradation of DNA in isolated nuclei by endogenous nuclease was studied. Compared to the nontransformed cell line, the nuclear DNA of the transformed cells was found to be degraded to a much greater extent. This was reflected by a markedly lower proportion of DNA attached to the nuclear protein matrix in the transformed compared to the nontransformed cells.

These observations can be accounted for by assuming that the chromatin of the transformed cell line has a conformation different from that of the nontransformed cells.

¹ This study was supported by the Netherlands Cancer Foundation (Koningin Wilhelmina Fonds), Grant NUKC 81-10.

² To whom requests for reprints should be addressed.

Received 3/ 7/84. Revised 11/29/84. Accepted 1/31/85.