Gamma-irradiated DNA activates histone H1-specific proteinase of rat liver nuclei

We investigated the effect of various forms of DNA (double- and single-stranded calf thymus DNA, circular plasmid DNA, gamma- and UV-irradiated DNA and DNAase I-treated double-stranded DNA) aggregated with histones, on the proteolysis of these histones by proteinase associated with the rat liver nuclear scaffold. It was shown that the nuclear scaffold-associated proteinase is able to degrade selectively the histone H1 only in the presence of the DNA containing single-strand breaks induced by gamma-radiation or DNAase I treatment as well as in the presence of heat-denatured DNA. This proteinase is not activated by the double-stranded circular plasmid DNA or by UV-treated double-stranded DNA. Histone H1-specific proteinase (HSP) activated by gamma-irradiated DNA is inhibited by inhibitors of serine proteinases such as antipain, leupeptin, phenylmethylsulphonyl fluoride, as well as by dithiothreitol. The results lead us to suggest that DNA-activated HSP from rat liver nuclei is involved in the regulation of the access of repair enzymes to the damage portions of DNA within chromatin.