Deoxyribonuclease Activity and Deoxyribonucleic Acid Synthesis in Normal, Regenerating, Precancerous and Cancerous Rat Liver

INCREASE in the rate of deoxyribonucleic acid synthesis is a biochemical characteristic of hyperplastic growth. Whereas the rate of growth under normal conditions is under rigorous control, malignant growth may be characterized by the impairment of this kind of control. Since deoxyribonucleic acid synthesis is necessary for cell division, it is possible that this control may be exercised by the regulation, of deoxyribonucleic acid metabolism. The purpose of this communication is to direct attention to a number of observations which, taken together, seem to indicate that deoxyribonuclease may be involved in such regulation.