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A comparison has been made of the difference spectra obtained by causing various aflatoxins (B1, G1 and G2) to interact with calf-thymus DNA. The effect of these toxins on RNA and protein synthesis by rat-liver slices has been measured. The extent of their inhibitory action on the synthetic reactions was proportional to the degree of spectral shift obtained with their interaction with DNA. It is proposed that their toxicity depends on this interaction. It was demonstrated that the RNA polymerase of nucleoli isolated from the livers of aflatoxin B1-poisoned rats was inhibited. This finding is in agreement with the proposed mechanism for the hepatotoxic action of aflatoxin.