Changes in DNA capacity for actinomycin-D binding in nuclei of interphase cells

3H-AMD binding to DNA in interphase nuclei was tested on asynchronous and synchronous LS/BL cell populations under physiological conditions and after exposure to gamma rays (60Co). 3H-AMD binding to DNA in an asynchronous cell population appeared to be nearly constant and independent of 3H-AMD concentration. However, in comparing individual cells, a great variability could be observed. In synchronized cells the DNA accessibility for 3H-AMD binding changed in the course of the cell cycle, with a maximum occurring at the late G1-phase (13.95 X 10(-12) mumol/nucleus) and a minimum at the late G2-phase (2.63 X 10(-12) mumol/nucleus). In irradiated cells the DNA capacity for 3H-AMD binding was growing with the increasing dose (5-80 Gy) from 4.9 to 11.2 X 10(-12) mumol 3H-AMD/nucleus.