HUMAN LEUKEMIC-CELLS - DETERMINATION OF TRACE-ELEMENTS IN NUCLEIC-ACIDS AND HISTONES BY NEUTRON-ACTIVATION ANALYSES

Trace metals were measured by neutron activation analyses in purified nucleic acids and histone(s) of lymphocytes from patients with acute lymphocytic leukemia or infectious mononucleosis and from normal donors. DNA isolated from lymphocytes of a patient with infectious mononucleosis and a normal donor showed a high content of Cr2+, Sb2+, Fe2+ and Zn2+, whereas DNA of lymphoblasts from a patient with acute lymphocytic leukemia had a lower content of these trace metals. The Co2+ content was 20 fold higher than in DNA of normal donor lymphocytic cells. Total histones from leukemic cells had higher contents of most of the trace metals except for Zn2+, which was present in lesser concentration than in histones from normal donor lymphocytic cells. Lysine rich (F1) histones showed lower contents of Cr2+, Sb2+ and Co2+, whereas arginine rich (F3) histones had higher contents of these trace metals. These observations may be of interest in that F3 histones more effectively inhibit RNA synthesis in human lymphocytic cells than other species of histones.