Dependence on androgens of the specific DNA-binding activity of rat ventral-prostate non-histone chromosomal proteins.
Interactions between rat prostate non-histone chromosomal proteins and DNA were studied by using a nitrocellulose-filter-binding technique to monitor the formation of DNA--protein complexes. The total binding activity of the non-histones, as measured by binding of proteins to a trace quantity of labelled DNA, displays no preference for rat DNA relative to Escherichia coli DNA. Sequestration of non-specific binding proteins by preincubation with unlabelled bacterial DNA enables detection of a fraction of rat prostate non-histones that binds preferentially to labelled rat DNA relative to labelled E. coli DNA. After castration of adult male rats, both total and specific binding activities decrease. Administration of 5 alpha-dihydrotestosterone to castrated rats stimulates both total and specific DNA-binding activities of prostate non-histones; specific binding is stimulated to a greater extent than total DNA, indicating that the specific binding proteins constitute a larger fraction of the non-histone proteins in the presence of androgens. The specific DNa-binding activity is dependent on the dose of steroid administered.
D000818:Animals; D002369:Castration; D002868:Chromosomal Proteins, Non-Histone / Q000378:metabolism*; D004247:DNA / Q000378:metabolism*; D013196:Dihydrotestosterone / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D008297:Male; D011467:Prostate / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats
D002868:Chromosomal Proteins, Non-Histone; D013196:Dihydrotestosterone; D004247:DNA