Induction of persistent double strand breaks following multiphoton irradiation of cycling and G1-arrested mammalian cells-replication-induced double strand breaks

DNA double strand breaks (DSBs) are amongst the most deleterious lesions induced within the cell following exposure to ionizing radiation. Mammalian cells repair these breaks predominantly via the nonhomologous end joining pathway which is active throughout the cell cycle and is error prone. The alternative pathway for repair of DSBs is homologous recombination (HR) which is error free and active during S- and G2/M-phases of the cell cycle. We have utilized near-infrared laser radiation to induce DNA damage in individual mammalian cells through multiphoton excitation processes to investigate the dynamics of single cell DNA damage processing. We have used immunofluorescent imaging of gamma-H2AX (a marker for DSBs) in mammalian cells and investigated the colocalization of this protein with ATM, p53 binding protein 1 and RAD51, an integral protein of the HR DNA repair pathway. We have observed persistent DSBs at later times postlaser irradiation which are indicative of DSBs arising at replication, presumably from UV photoproducts or clustered damage containing single strand breaks. Cell cycle studies have shown that in G1 cells, a significant fraction of multiphoton laser-induced prompt DSBs persists for > 4 h in addition to those induced at replication.     

Fluorometric analysis of DNA unwinding (FADU) as a method for detecting repair-induced DNA strand breaks in UV-irradiated mammalian cells

Fluorometric analysis of DNA unwinding (FADU assay) was originally designed to detect X-ray-induced DNA damage in repair-proficient and repair-deficient mammalian cell lines. The method was modified and applied to detect DNA strand breaks in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells exposed to ionizing radiation as well as to UV light. Exposed cells were allowed to repair damaged DNA by incubation for up to 1 h after exposure under standard growth conditions in the presence and in the absence of the DNA synthesis inhibitor aphidicolin. Thereafter, cell lysates were mixed with 0.15 M sodium hydroxide, and DNA unwinding took place at pH 12.1 for 30 min at 20 degrees C. The amount of DNA remaining double-stranded after alkaline reaction was detected by binding to the Hoechst 33258 dye (bisbenzimide) and measuring the fluorescence. After exposure to X-rays DNA strand breaks were observed in all cell lines immediately after exposure with subsequent restitution of high molecular weight DNA during postexposure incubation. In contrast, after UV exposure delayed production of DNA strand break was observed only in cell lines proficient for nucleotide excision repair of DNA photoproducts. Here strand break production was enhanced when the polymerization step was inhibited by adding the repair inhibitor aphidicolin during repair incubation. These results demonstrate that the FADU approach is suitable to distinguish between different DNA lesions (strand breaks versus base alterations) preferentially induced by different environmental radiations (X-rays versus UV) and to distinguish between the different biochemical processes during damage repair (incision versus polymerization and ligation).     

THE REPAIR OF DNA STRAND BREAKS IN HUMAN LYMPHOCYTES EXPOSED TO NEAR UV-RADIATION (UVA) AND FAR UV-RADIATION (UVC)

Abstract— UVA irradiation of human lymphocytes induces DNA strand breaks and a portion of these breaks are closed at a slower rate than X-ray induced DNA strand breaks and the strand breaks generated during repair of UVC induced DNA lesions. In addition, the yield of DNA strand breaks in lymphocytes pretreated with UVA radiation and given a subsequent exposure with UVC radiation is higher and shows a slower decrease with increasing repair time in comparison with the expected yield based on additivity between UVA and UVC induced DNA strand breaks. This indicates that UVA delays the closure of the intermediate strand breaks formed in the repair process of UVC induced DNA lesions.     

Only complete rejoining of DNA strand breaks after UVC allows K562 cell proliferation and DMSO induction of erythropoiesis

DNA strand breaks are early intermediates of the repair of UVC-induced DNA damage, however, since they severely impair cellular activities, their presence should be limited in time. In this study, the effects of incomplete repair of UVC-induced DNA strand breaks are investigated on K562 cell growth and the induction of erythroid differentiation by addition of DMSO to the cell culture medium. The kinetics were followed after UV irradiation by single cell gel electrophoresis, and in total cell population by alkaline or neutral agarose gel electrophoresis. Shortly after exposure, an extensive fragmentation occurred in DNA; DNA double strand breaks were negatively correlated with recovery time for DNA integrity. DNA damage induced by UVC 9J/m2 rapidly triggered necrosis in a large fraction of irradiated K562 cells, and only 40% of treated cells resumed growth at a very low rate within 24h of culture. The addition of DMSO to the culture medium of cells 15min after UVC, when DNA strand break repair was not yet complete, produced apoptosis in >70% of surviving cells, as determined by TUNEL assay. Conversely, if DMSO was added when the resealing of DNA strand breaks was complete, surviving K562 cells retained full growth capacity, and their progeny underwent erythroid differentiation with normal levels of erythroid proteins, delta-aminolevulinic acid dehydrase and hemoglobin. This study shows that the extent of DNA strand break repair influences cell proliferation and the DMSO induced erythroid program, and the same UVC dose can have opposite effects depending on cellular status.     

Immune diversity and genomic stability: opposite goals but similar paths.

DNA damage response mechanisms serve to protect cells from exogenous and endogenous DNA damaging agents with the aim of maintaining genomic stability. In contrast, the generation of an efficient immune response requires the creation of a repertoire of distinct immunoglobulin and T cell receptor genes able to recognise the huge array of antigens that may be encountered in a lifetime. Surprisingly, cells have exploited the same mechanisms used to maintain genomic integrity to create genetic diversity during immune development. Here, we review the damage response mechanisms operating on DNA double strand breaks and their function during development of the immune response. We discuss disorders that are associated with immunodeficiency and defective responses to the presence of DNA double strand breaks.     

Lack of correlation between DNA strand breakage and p53 protein levels in human fibroblast strains exposed to ultraviolet lights

The contribution of DNA strand breaks accumulating in the course of nucleotide excision repair to upregulation of the p53 tumor suppressor protein was investigated in human dermal fibroblast strains after treatment with 254 nm ultraviolet (UV) light. For this purpose, fibroblast cultures were exposed to UV and incubated for 3 h in the presence or absence of l-beta-D-arabinofuranosylcytosine (araC) and/or hydroxyurea (HU), and then assayed for DNA strand breakage and p53 protein levels. As expected from previous studies, incubation of normal and ataxia telangiectasia (AT) fibroblasts with araC and HU after UV irradiation resulted in an accumulation of DNA strand breaks. Such araC/HU-accumulated strand breaks (reflecting nonligated repair-incision events) following UV irradiation were not detected in xeroderma pigmentosum (XP) fibroblast strains belonging to complementation groups A and G. Western blot analysis revealed that normal fibroblasts exhibited little upregulation of p53 (approximately 1.2-fold) when incubated without araC after 5 J/m2 irradiation, but showed significant (three-fold) upregulation of p53 when incubated with araC after irradiation. AraC is known to inhibit nucleotide excision repair at both the damage removal and repair resynthesis steps. Therefore, the potentiation of UV-induced upregulation of p53 evoked by araC in normal cells may be a consequence of either persistent bulky DNA lesions or persistent incision-associated DNA strand breaks. To distinguish between these two possibilities, we determined p53 induction in AT fibroblasts (which do not upregulate p53 in response to DNA strand breakage) and in XP fibroblasts (which do not exhibit incision-associated breaks after UV irradiation). The p53 response after treatment with 5 J/m2 UV and incubation with araC was similar in AT, XPA, XPG and normal fibroblasts. In addition, exposure of XPA and XPG fibroblasts to UV (5, 10 or 20 J/m2) followed by incubation without araC resulted in a strong upregulation of p53. We further demonstrated that HU, an inhibitor of replicative DNA synthesis (but not of nucleotide excision repair), had no significant impact on p53 protein levels in UV irradiated and unirradiated human fibroblasts. We conclude that upregulation of p53 at early times after exposure of diploid human fibroblasts to UV light is triggered by persistent bulky DNA lesions, and that incision-associated DNA strand breaks accumulating in the course of nucleotide excision repair and breaks arising as a result of inhibition of DNA replication contribute little (if anything) to upregulation of p53.     

In Silico Investigation of the Biological Implications of Complex DNA Damage with Emphasis in Cancer Radiotherapy through a Systems Biology Approach

Different types of DNA lesions forming in close vicinity, create clusters of damaged sites termed as “clustered/complex DNA damage” and they are considered to be a major challenge for DNA repair mechanisms resulting in significant repair delays and induction of genomic instability. Upon detection of DNA damage, the corresponding DNA damage response and repair (DDR/R) mechanisms are activated. The inability of cells to process clustered DNA lesions efficiently has a great impact on the normal function and survival of cells. If complex lesions are left unrepaired or misrepaired, they can lead to mutations and if persistent, they may lead to apoptotic cell death. In this in silico study, and through rigorous data mining, we have identified human genes that are activated upon complex DNA damage induction like in the case of ionizing radiation (IR) and beyond the standard DNA repair pathways, and are also involved in cancer pathways, by employing stringent bioinformatics and systems biology methodologies. Given that IR can cause repair resistant lesions within a short DNA segment (a few nm), thereby augmenting the hazardous and toxic effects of radiation, we also investigated the possible implication of the most biologically important of those genes in comorbid non-neoplastic diseases through network integration, as well as their potential for predicting survival in cancer patients.     

The use of silver-stained "comets" to visualize DNA damage and repair in normal and Xeroderma pigmentosum fibroblasts after exposure to simulated solar radiation

The alkaline and neutral comet assays have been widely used to assess DNA damage and repair in individual cells after in vivo or in vitro exposure to chemical or physical genotoxins. Cells processed under neutral conditions generate comets primarily from DNA double strand breaks, whereas under alkaline conditions, comets arise from DNA single and double strand breaks and alkali-labile lesions. A modified version of the alkaline comet assay, as described here, used silver stain to visualize the comets and a Gelbond base to facilitate the manipulation and processing of samples. To demonstrate how these modifications improve the assay, fibroblasts derived from both normal and Xeroderma pigmentosum (Xp) individuals were exposed to simulated solar radiation and the resulting DNA damage and repair evaluated and compared with results from the relevant literature. Comets from normal fibroblasts reached their maximum length at about an hour after irradiation. Dose-dependent increases in comet length were observed up to at least 360 mJ/cm2. In contrast, comet lengths from repair deficient Xp fibroblasts were shorter than normal cells reflecting their reduced capacity to generate single strand breaks by the excision of DNA dimers. For incubation times of more than 1 h, comet lengths from normal fibroblasts underwent a time-dependent decrease, supporting the contention that this change was related to the ligation step in the DNA repair process. These changes were compatible with the model of DNA damage and repair established by others for ultraviolet radiation.     

DNA DAMAGE IN RAT 9L CELLS TREATED WITH 8-METHOXYPSORALEN AND NEAR-UV LIGHT ASSAYED BY VISCOELASTOMETRY AND S1 NUCLEASE

–The techniques of viscoelastometry and S1 nuclease digestion were applied to the analysis of DNA damage in rat 9L cells treated with the combination of 8-MOP (8-methoxysporalen) and near-UV light. Treatment of cells with near-UV light alone resulted in a decrease in the viscoelastic retardation time under both denaturing and nondenaturing conditons. Exposure of cells to 8-MOP alone yielded a maximum in the plot of retardation time vs dose under nondenaturing conditions, similar to that found with ionizing radition. This observation suggests that treatment with 8-MOP alone leads to DNA strand breaks. Viscoelastic analysis of cell lysates under denaturing conditions demonstrated that treatment of cells with 8-MOP and UV radiation led to substantial increases in both the viscoelastic retardation time and recoil, consistent with formation of DNA interstrand cross-links. Viscoelastic analysis of cell lysates under nondenaturing conditions showed that exposure to long wavelength UV light in the presence of 8-MOP produced a decrease in retardation time. This decrease reflects the combined effect of strand breaks and interstrand cross-links. Results from the S1 nuclease assay confirmed these observations and permitted quantitation of DNA damage arising from single-strand breaks and DNA interstrand crosslinks. The importance of including the effect of strand breaks in the quantitation of cross-link formation is discussed.     

Enhanced radiation-induced cell killing by Herbimycin A pre-treatment

Herbimycin A (HA), as in Geldanamycin, binds to conserved pockets of heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) and inhibits its chaperone functions. Hsp90 plays an integral role in cancer cell growth and survival, because it maintains the stability of several key proteins by its chaperone's activity. It is known that some of the proteins associated with radiation responses are functionally stabilized by Hsp90. In this study, we investigated the effect of HA on radiosensitivity in human cancer cells and the mechanism related to the sensitization. In order to gain a mechanistic insight of this sensitization, we examined repair of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) in irradiated human cancer cells pre-treated with HA, as unrepaired DSBs are thought to be the main cause of radiation-induced cell death. Cellular radiosensitivity was determined by clonogenic assay, and the DSB rejoining kinetics was examined by constant field gel electrophoresis. SQ-5, a lung squamous carcinoma cell line, showed synergistic increase in radiosensitivity when cells were pre-treated with HA. In addition, HA significantly inhibited repair of radiation-induced DSBs. These results suggest that the combination of HA and ionizing radiation may be a useful therapeutic strategy for treating certain cancer cells.     

SIRT1 promotes DNA repair activity and deacetylation of Ku70

Human SIRT1 controls various physiological responses including cell fate, stress, and aging, through deacetylation of its specific substrate protein. In processing DNA damage signaling, SIRT1 attenuates a cellular apoptotic response by deacetylation of p53 tumor suppressor. The present study shows that, upon exposure to radiation, SIRT1 could enhance DNA repair capacity and deacetylation of repair protein Ku70. Ectopically over-expressed SIRT1 resulted in the increase of repair of DNA strand breakages produced by radiation. On the other hand, repression of endogenous SIRT1 expression by SIRT1 siRNA led to the decrease of this repair activity, indicating that SIRT1 can regulate DNA repair capacity of cells with DNA strand breaks. In addition, we found that SIRT1 physically complexed with repair protein Ku70, leading to subsequent deacetylation. The dominant-negative SIRT1, a catalytically inactive form, did not induce deacetylation of Ku70 protein as well as increase of DNA repair capacity. These observations suggest that SIRT1 modulates DNA repair activity, which could be regulated by the acetylation status of repair protein Ku70 following DNA damage.     

Effects of direct radiation on deoxyribonucleic acid

It is argued that effects of ionizing radiation on DNA in cell nuclei may frequently be direct in the sense that many electron-gain and electron-loss centres become localised within the DNA molecules. The water of solvation that would also be present in the cell is presumed to pass on holes and electrons prior to the formation of OH· radicals and solvated electrons since these are not detected by ESR of in vitro model systems. Furthermore, a case is made that this direct damage may be particularly significant in that the cationic and anionic centres (G⁺ and T^- according to ESR results) are thought to be formed close enough together to lead, ultimately, to double strand breaks. Evidence that both G⁺ and T^- can lead to strand breaks is discussed. The presence of histone proteins modifies the yields of G⁺ and T^- to a significant extent. The effects of various additives are discussed. Oxygen has been shown by ESR spectroscopy to scavenge electrons in competition with DNA and also to react to form RO₂· radicals that are located on the DNA. It has been shown that this is accompanied by a significant enhancement of strand breaks. Nitroimidazoles act as efficient electron scavengers, their anions being clearly detected by ESR studies. The yield of T^- is consequently reduced and that of the protonated form, TH·, falls to zero. However, the initial yields of G⁺ are not greatly affected. This results in a reduction in the yield of single strand breaks and a proportionately greater decrease in the yield of double-strand breaks due to scavenging of only one of the radical centres. The origin of this is discussed in terms of a proposal for the mechanism of double-strand-break formation. Thus, at the molecular level these drugs protect the DNA against strand sission, in marked contrast with their radiosensitisation in vivo, particularly of hypoxic cells. Other additives studied include hydrogen peroxide and iodoacetamide. The studies on hydrogen peroxide have allowed us to assess the role of OH· radicals under the conditions used for ESR studies. Iodoacetamide gives ·CH₂CONH₂ radicals which are detected by ESR and, on annealing, these apparently attack the DNA to give species thought to be sugar radicals. This is associated with a significant increase in the yields of strand breaks. The ESR features assigned to sugar radicals have been shown to decay at temperatures below which the DNA radicals G⁺ and T^- are normally lost. This provides a good explanation of our failure to detect sugar radical intermediates by ESR spectroscopy on annealing samples in the absence of additives.     

ALKALINE ELUTION STUDIES OF HEMATOPORPHYRIN-DERIVATIVE PHOTOSENSITIZED DNA DAMAGE AND REPAIR IN CHINESE HAMSTER OVARY CELLS

Abstract We have used alkaline elution to study DNA damage produced by the photosensitizer hematoporphyrin derivative (HPD) in cultured Chinese hamster cells. Dosimetry was performed by measuring fluence and calculating photon absorption by intracellular HPD. HPD photosensitization causes DNA strand breakage. These breaks are repaired by the cell, although their fractional rate of repair is smaller than that for X-ray induced strand breaks at equivalent levels of strand breakage. The combined DNA polymerase inhibitors cytosine arabinoside and hydroxyurea suppress the repair of HPD-photosensitized breaks more strongly than they suppress repair of X-ray induced breaks. Addition of novobiocin to the aforementioned inhibitors causes almost total suppression of photosensitized break repair. A nucleotide excision repair system with inhibitor susceptibility similar to that of the system which removes pyrimidine dimers thus does not act upon HPD-photosensitized damage. The repair rate and inhibitor sensitivity findings together suggest biologically important differences in the chemical nature of X-ray induced and HPD-photosensitized strand breaks. In addition to strand breaks, HPD photosensitization produces covalent DNA-protein crosslinks, some of which persist through at least 90 min incubation, but which are repaired within 180 min.     

Detection of telomere damage as a result of strand breaks in telomeric and subtelomeric DNA

Telomeres are the tandem repetitive DNA sequences at both ends of a chromosome with a repeating unit of TTAGGG. The integrity of a telomere is crucial to chromosomal stability and cellular viability. Damages to telomere DNA disrupt telomere integrity and accelerate telomere shortening. We describe a method for the assessment of strand breaks in the telomere/subtelomere region in cultured cells. Cells were embedded in agarose plugs and subjected to lysis and alkaline treatment to relax the DNA double helix. The telomere fragments as the result of strand breaks in the telomere/subtelomere region were then separated from the genomic DNA by electrophoresis, blotted onto membranes, and detected by a probe specific to the telomere sequence. Because of the large content of the telomere in human cells and the fact that telomere DNA is much more prone to damage than the bulk genomic DNA, the analysis may serve as a good indication of general DNA damage as well.     

Correlation of free radical yields with strand break yields produced in plasmid DNA by the direct effect of ionizing radiation

The purpose of this study was to determine how free radical formation (fr) correlates with single strand break (ssb) and double strand break (dsb) formation in DNA exposed to the direct effects of ionizing radiation. Chemical yields have been determined of (i) total radicals trapped on DNA at 4 K, G(Sigmafr), (ii) radicals trapped on the DNA sugar, Gsugar(fr), (iii) prompt single strand breaks, Gprompt(ssb), (iv) total single strand breaks, Gtotal(ssb), and (v) double strand breaks, G(dsb). These measurements make it possible, for the first time, to quantitatively test the premise that free radicals are the primary precursors to strand breaks. G(fr) were measured by EPR applied to films of pEC (10,810 bp) and pUC18 (2686 bp) plasmids hydrated to Gamma = 22 mol of water/nucleotide and X-irradiated at 4 K. Using these same samples warmed to room temperature, strand breaks were measured by gel electrophoresis. The respective values for pEC and pUC18 were G(fr) = 0.71 +/- 0.02 and 0.61 +/- 0.01 micromol/J, Gtotal(ssb) = 0.09 +/- 0.01 and 0.14 +/- 0.01 micromol/J, G(dsb) = 0.010 +/- 0.001 and 0.006 +/- 0.001 micromol/J, and Gtota)(ssb)/G(dsb) approximately 9 and approximately 20. Surprisingly, Gsugar(fr) approximately 0.06 mumol/J for pUC18 films, less than half of Gtotal(ssb). This indicates that a significant fraction of strand breaks are derived from precursors other than trapped DNA radicals. To explain this disparity, various mechanisms were considered, including one that entails two one-electron oxidations of a single deoxyribose carbon.     

DNA DAMAGE AND REPAIR IN HUMAN CELLS EXPOSED TO SUNLIGHT

Cultured human cells were treated with direct sunlight under conditions which minimised the hypertonic, hyperthermic and fixative effects of solar radiation. Sunlight produced similar levels of DNA strand breaks as equitoxic 254 nm UV in two fibroblast strains and a melanoma cell line, but DNA repair synthesis and inhibition of semiconservative DNA synthesis and of DNA chain elongation were significantly less for sunlight-exposed cells. DNA breaks induced by sunlight were removed more rapidly. Thus, the repair of solar damage differs considerably from 254 nm UV repair. Glass-filtered sunlight (> 320 nm) was not toxic to cells and did not induce repair synthesis but gave a low level of short-lived DNA breaks and some inhibition of DNA chain elongation; thymidine uptake was enhanced. Filtered sunlight slightly enhanced UV-induced repair synthesis and UV toxicity; photoreactivation of UV damage was not found. Attempts to transform human fibroblasts using sunlight, with or without phorbol ester, were unsuccessful.     

Age-dependent DNA repair and cell cycle distribution of human skin fibroblasts in response to UVA irradiation

Ageing process in cells is associated with oxidative stress. Ultraviolet A produces reactive oxygen species responsible for accumulation of DNA and cellular damage. After the evaluation of antioxidant enzyme activities and oxidative stress markers at the basal state, we have studied the responses to UVA stress of coetaneous fibroblasts, isolated from different male donors (2-88 years, n=23) in terms of cytotoxicity, genotoxicity and DNA repair capacities. For this purpose, we have determined level of DNA damage using the comet assay (single strand breaks and alkali-labile sites) and the cell cycle distribution after a 5 J/cm2 irradiation. No differences with age were observed for antioxidant enzyme activities and oxidative stress markers. DNA strand breaks after UVA irradiation (5-20 J/cm2), was found to be age-dependent. DNA repair was slow and also significantly affected by ageing. The cell cycle distribution analysis showed that high repair correlated with high proliferative capacities at basal level. Twenty-four hours after the stress, fraction of young fibroblasts blocked in G1 phase was significantly increased whereas significant modifications concerned the G2-M phase for adult and older fibroblasts. These results indicate an age-dependent decline in the DNA repair capacities correlated with modifications of the cell cycle parameters.     

TOXICITY, DNA DAMAGE AND INHIBITION OF DNA REPAIR SYNTHESIS IN HUMAN MELANOMA CELLS BY CONCENTRATED SUNLIGHT

A 1 m diameter water lens was used to focus solar radiation, giving an 8-fold concentration of the total spectrum and a cytocidal flux similar to that of laboratory UV sources. Survival curves for human melanoma cells were similar for sunlight and 254 nm UV, in that D _q, was usually larger than D _o. An xeroderma pigmentosum lymphoblastoid line was equally sensitive to both agents and human cell lines sensitive to ionizing radiation (lymphoblastoid lines), crosslinking agents or monofunctional alkylating agents (melanoma lines) had the same 254 nm UV and solar survival responses as appropriate control lines. Two melanoma sublines derived separately by 16 cycles of treatment with sunlight or 254 nm UV were crossresistant to both agents. In one melanoma cell line used for further studies, DNA strand breaks and DNA-protein crosslinking were induced in melanoma cells by sunlight but pyrimidine dimers (paper chromatography) and DNA interstrand crosslinking (alkaline elution) could not be detected. The solar fiuence response of DNA repair synthesis was much less than that from equitoxic 254 nm UV, reaching a maximum near the D _o value and then declining; semiconservative DNA synthesis on the other hand remained high. These effects were not due to changes in thymidine pool sizes. Solar exposure did not have a major effect on 254 nm UV-induced repair synthesis.     

Effect of hydration on the induction of strand breaks and base lesions in plasmid DNA films by gamma-radiation

The yields of gamma-radiation-induced single- and double-strand breaks (ssb's and dsb's) as well as base lesions, which are converted into detectable ssb by the base excision repair enzymes endonuclease III (Nth) and formamidopyrimidine-DNA glycosylase (Fpg), at 278 K have been measured as a function of the level of hydration of closed-circular plasmid DNA (pUC18) films. The yields of ssb and dsb increase slightly on increasing the level of hydration (Gamma) from vacuum-dried DNA up to DNA containing 15 mol of water per mole of nucleotide. At higher levels of hydration (15 < Gamma < 35), the yields are constant, indicating that H2O*+ or diffusible hydroxyl radicals, if produced in the hydrated layer, do not contribute significantly to the induction of strand breaks. In contrast, the yields of base lesions, recognized by Nth and Fpg, increase with increasing hydration of the DNA over the range studied. The maximum ratios of the yields of base lesions to that of ssb are 1.7:1 and 1.4:1 for Nth- and Fpg-sensitive sites, respectively. The yields of additional dsb, revealed after enzymatic treatment, increase with increasing level of hydration of DNA. The maximum yield of these enzymatically induced dsb is almost the same as that for prompt, radiation-induced dsb's, indicating that certain types of enzymatically revealed, clustered DNA damage, e.g., two or more lesions closely located, one on each DNA strand, are induced in hydrated DNA by radiation. It is proposed that direct energy deposition in the hydration layer of DNA produces H2O*+ and an electron, which react with DNA to produce mainly base lesions but not ssb. The nucleobases are oxidized by H2O*+ in competition with its conversion to hydroxyl radicals, which if formed do not produce ssb's, presumably due to their scavenging by Tris present in the samples. This pathway plays an important role in the induction of base lesions and clustered DNA damage by direct energy deposition in hydrated DNA and is important in understanding the processes that lead to radiation degradation of DNA in cells or biological samples.     

Excess electron interactions with solvated DNA nucleotides: strand breaks possible at room temperature

When biological matter is subjected to ionizing radiation, a wealth of secondary low-energy (<20 eV) electrons are produced. These electrons propagate inelastically, losing energy to the medium until they reach energies low enough to localize in regions of high electron affinity. We have recently shown that in fully solvated DNA fragments, nucleobases are particularly attractive for such excess electrons. The next question is what is their longer-term effect on DNA. It has been advocated that they can lead to strand breaks by cleavage of the phosphodiester C(3')-O(3') bond. Here we present a first-principles study of free energy barriers for the cleavage of this bond in fully solvated nucleotides. We have found that except for dAMP, the barriers are on the order of 6 kcal/mol, suggesting that bond cleavage is a regular feature at 300 K. Such low barriers are possible only as a result of solvent and thermal fluctuations. These findings support the notion that low-energy electrons can indeed lead to strand breaks in DNA.