DNA-binding proteins of psoriatic scales III. Biochemical characterisation as non-histone-proteins.

Histone and non-histone-proteins (NHP) are proteins with a specific affinity to DNA; each group is involved in the regulation of gene expression in its own way. To investigate molecular biologic processes at psoriasis, DNA-binding proteins (DBP) were isolated from psoriatic scales. During this work the proportions of histone and NHP of the DBP fractions were examined. Using two different methods (Bio Rex 70-chromatography and isoelectrofocussing), it was found that the isolated DBP contain only acidic proteins. Likewise, the composition of amino acids is comparable with those of acidic, nuclear proteins of other tissues. Thus the isolated DBP represent to its greatest extent acidic, chromosomal NHP, which obviously are derived from the preserved nuclei of the parakeratotic scale layer.