EPR study of radiation damage to DNA irradiated with synchrotron soft X-rays around nitrogen and oxygen K-edge

Lifetime of the unpaired electron species in calf thymus DNA thin films induced by nitrogen and oxygen K-shell photoabsorption

PURPOSE

To study the lifetime of the short-lived unpaired electron species induced in a calf thymus DNA film by soft X-rays in the energy regions around nitrogen and oxygen K-edge.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Dry calf thymus DNA films were measured by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectrometer during the monochromatic soft X-ray irradiation provided from a synchrotron accelerator (SPring-8, Super Photon ring-8 GeV). Two operation modes of SPring-8 with different electron bunch structures were used to explore dependence of EPR intensity on pulse interval of soft X-rays.

RESULTS

Observed EPR spectra did not show significant difference, in the spectral shape, intensity, g-factor and photon energy dependence, between the two bunch modes.

CONCLUSIONS

The total yield of the unpaired electron species were estimated by assuming the exponential relaxation of the unpaired electrons with two different bunch modes of the synchrotron. The lifetime of the unpaired electron species is estimated to be in the range of a few tens to several hundreds of μs.

Unpaired electron species in thin films of calf-thymus DNA molecules induced by nitrogen and oxygen K-shell photoabsorption

The mechanism of DNA modification induced by K-shell photoabsorption of nitrogen and oxygen atoms was investigated by electron paramagnetic resonance and x-ray absorption near edge structure measurements of calf thymus DNA. A g factor of 2.000 for the unpaired electron species, which only arises during irradiation, was measured. The EPR intensities for DNA zwere twofold times larger than those estimated based on the photoabsorption cross section. This suggests that the DNA film itself forms unpaired electron species through the excitation of enhanced electron recapturing, known as the postcollision interaction process.

Observation of cleavage in DNA and nucleotides following oxygen K-shell ionization by measuring X-ray absorption near edge structure

PURPOSE

To investigate which type of bond is more likely to be cleaved in functional groups in DNA including the nucleobases by the K-shell ionization of oxygen of DNA, and to determine whether the production of propenal is specific to the oxygen resonant excitation. To investigate the degradation pattern which depends on the type of nucleobase in the DNA monomer.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Calf thymus DNA film and four nucleotides (dAMP, TMP, dGMP, and dCMP) films were used as samples. Soft X-rays with energy of 560 eV were used to irradiate the samples, and the changes in the X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) spectra during the irradiation were measured. The XANES measurements were performed by using a 0.02 eV scanning photon energy step.

RESULTS

The difference spectra for DNA and nucleotides were similar to those for pyridine deprotonation. The oxygen K-edge regions in the difference spectra were all similar apart from the spectrum obtained at the resonant excitation energy of oxygen in DNA. The spectral change did not depend on the type of nucleotide.

CONCLUSION

(1) Deprotonation of the nucleobase -NH is usually induced by core ionization of carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen; (2) propenal production is specific to the oxygen K-shell resonant excitation; and (3) the pattern of XANES spectral changes does not significantly depend on the type of nucleobase.