Abstract: | It was found that heparin is capable of increasing the sedimentation coefficient of DNA over alkaline and neutral sucrose density gradients as well as of reducing the intrinsic viscosity of native DNA. Irreversible compactization of DNA induced by heparin apparently by means of intramolecular aggregation of DNA with involvement of residual protein underlies the above-described phenomena. The influence of heparin on DNA is potentiated in more concentrated solutions. This should be taken into account in the assay of DNA-containing systems in the presence of heparin. |