Comparative analysis of DNA loop length in nontransformed and transformed hamster cells

The size of the looped, matrix-attached DNA domains was estimated in both nontransformed and transformed hamster cells. In BHK cells it was observed that in interphase as well as during mitosis, transformed cells, on the average, have shorter loops than nontransformed cells. In CHO cells, however, no alteration of the length of the looped DNA domains was found to accompany transformation. The implications of these observations are discussed in relation to the process of the process of transformation.