[A cytofluorimetric study of the stability of the DNA secondary structure in the epithelial cells of adenocarcinomas of the large intestine].

Investigation was carried out on the epithelial cells obtained from 32 patients with benign and malignant tumors of large intestine aged from 42 to 80 years. Ratio of single-stranded and double-stranded DNAs in the epithelial cells of unchanged colorectal mucosa (12 patterns), adenomatous polyps (4) and adenocarcinomas (29) was studied using fluorimetric analysis. Increased instability of DNA secondary structure was revealed in the tumor cells comparing to the cells of unchanged colorectal epithelium. Relative accumulation of single-stranded DNA reflects structural and functional changes in gene apparatus of cells under malignization.