Non random distribution of lesions induced by deoxyribonuclease I in human chromosomes

Abstract

We studied the action of deoxyribonuclease I on human lymphocytes in order to determine the localization of the DNAase induced aberrations. Our results indicate a non-random distribution of the lesions on chromosome regions which may reflect a differential pattern of sensitivity to the enzyme. Furthermore we observed a correspondence between the preferential DNAase induced breaks and fragile sites that are expressed in lymphocytes maintained in medium without folic acid. A possible interpretation of our findings is that the accessibility to DNAase and/or the efficiency of the repair systems depend on the chromatin structure that influences also the expression of some common fragile sites.