The binucleate dinoflagellates Glenodinium (Peridinium) foliaceum Stein and Peridinium balticum (Levander) Lemmermann were found to contain two major buoyant density classes of DNA. The heavier peak (1.730 g/cm3) was derived from the "dinokaryotic" nucleus and the lighter peak (1.706 g/cm3) from the "endosymbiont" nucleus and this allowed for the fractionation of G. foliaceum DNA in CsCl/EtBr density gradients. An initial CsCl/Hoechst Dye gradient removed a minor A-T rich satellite species which was identified as plastid DNA with a size of about 100-106 kb. Analysis of the nuclear DNA by agarose gel electrophoresis and renaturation studies showed that the endosymbiont nucleus lacked amplified gene-sized DNA molecules, however, this nucleus did have a comparatively high level of DNA. The total amount of DNA per cell and the relative contributions of the two nuclei appeared to vary between two strains of G. foliaceum (75 pg/cell in CCAP strain and 58 pg in UTEX strain). The only strain of P. balticum examined contained 73 pg cell. These results are discussed in relation to the status and possible functioning of the endosymbiont nucleus and the idea that these dinoflagellates provide model systems with which to study the evolution of plastids.