Histones accelerate the cyclic 1,N2-propanoguanine adduct-formation of DNA by the primary metabolite of alcohol and carcinogenic crotonaldehyde

Chemical modification of 2′-deoxyguanosine and DNA by excessive acetaldehyde and crotonaldehyde were significantly accelerated by the presence of histones, which are nuclear proteins very rich in the basic amino acids such as -arginine and -lysine, resulting in the smooth and selective formation of the corresponding cyclic 1,N2-propanoguanine adducts under physiological conditions. Thus, histones have a very close connection with the genotoxic and carcinogenic effects of these aldehydes.