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This work investigates the direct-type action of radiation (involving electron addition and electron abstraction) on DNA. Specifically, the effects of DNA hydration, conformation and packing on free radical yields are examined. The fact that these variables are interdependent complicates the analysis of how each variable affects free radical yields. The hydration dependence of free radical yields in films of both Li and Na DNA was examined. At low levels of DNA hydration (less than 25 waters per nucleotide), the relatively high free radical yields and the lack of water-derived radicals are evidence that damage transfer from the DNA solvation shell to the DNA molecule occurs. The scatter of measured free radical yields is significant (50-70%) in Li DNA, while in Na DNA it is much less (<25%). Our conclusions hinge upon two known differences between Li DNA and Na DNA: (1) At low DNA hydrations, the conformation of Na DNA undergoes several changes with increasing hydration, while the conformation of Li DNA is relatively constant over the same range. (2) Compared to Na DNA, Li DNA is more prone to self-associate, giving rise to macroscopic and microscopic crystalline domains in Li DNA films. The greater scatter of free radical yields in Li DNA films is therefore attributed to variability in packing. By virtue of the greater reproducibility of free radical yields in Na DNA films, the effects of DNA packing, conformation and hydration can be ascertained. In Na DNA, hydration-dependent changes in free radical yields are attributed primarily to changes in DNA packing.

American Chemical Society, for partial support of this work. This work was also supported in part by NSF Grants CHE84-19830 and CHE88-07852. We gratefully acknowledge a grant of supercomputer time from the Pittsburgh Supercomputer Center. We thank Professor G. Ciccotti and Dr. D. A. Zichi for helpful discussions and Dr. M. Ferrario for providing the initial computer program, which was subsequently modified to perform this work.We are also grateful to Mr. Greg Smith for graphical assistance.

Release of 5-methylene-2-furanone (5-MF), a characteristic marker of DNA deoxyribose oxidative damage at the C1′ position, was observed in significant quantities from X-irradiated DNA. This observation, which held for DNA irradiated either in aqueous solution or as a film, requires postirradiation treatment at 90° C in the presence of polyamines and divalent metal cations at biological pH. The 5-MF product was quantified by using reverse-phase HPLC. The radiation chemical yield of 5-MF comprised more than 30% of the yield of total unaltered base release. Polylysine, spermine and Be(II) showed the strongest catalytic effect on 5-MF release, while Zn(II), Cu(II), Ni(II), putrescine and Mg(II) were substantially less efficient. We have hypothesized that the 5-MF release from irradiated DNA occurs through catalytic decomposition of the 2′ -deoxyribonolactone (dL) precursor through two consecutive β -and δ -phosphate elimination reactions. A stepwise character of the process was indicated by the S-shaped time course of 5-MF accumulation. If dL proves to be the precursor to 5-MF formation, it would then follow that dL is a very important lesion generated in DNA by ionizing radiation.