skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Radiation-produced electron migration along 5-bromouracil-substituted DNA in cells and in solutions

Thesis/Dissertation ·
OSTI ID:5478198

Results of work by other investigators support the theory of charge migration in DNA. Charge transfer between nucleotides and electron and energy migration in solid state DNA have been detected, but no previous experiments have demonstrated charge migration in aqueous solutions of DNA or in DNA inside an E. coli cell. Such experiments were performed by substituting different amounts of 5-bromouracil (BU) for thymine in E. coli DNA and assaying for the amount of bromide given off from the reaction of bromouracil with hydrated electrons produced by ionizing radiation to form uracil-5-yl radicals and free bromide. By varying the amount of BU incorporated in the DNA, the average distance between the BU bases was varied, and because the number of BU/electron reactions was monitored by the amount of bromide released, the maximum average electron migration distance along the BU-DNA was estimated. Hydrated electrons, e/sub aq/, were shown to react with BU in BU-DNA with the resultant release of bromide with G(-BR/sup -/) = 0.519 +- 0.062. OH radicals were half as reactive as e/sub aq/ toward producing bromide from BU-DNA. O/sub 2/, which has been shown to transfer charge to BU in aqueous solution, did not transfer charge to BU-DNA. The CO/sub 2/ radical was shown to cause the release of bromide from BU-DNA at least as effectively as e/sub aq/. Charge migration was demonstrated, and the maximum average electron migration distance in aqueous solutions of BU-DNA was measured to be 8 to 10 base distances (assuming only intrastrand migration). Only 11% to 16% of the electrons produced attacked BU-DNA in aqueous solution, and only 1% resulted in bromide release from BU-DNA inside E. coli. Charge migration was demonstrated in BU-DNA inside E. coli., and the maximum average migration distance was measured to be 5 to 6 base distances (assuming only intrastrand migration).

Research Organization:
Kansas Univ., Lawrence (USA)
OSTI ID:
5478198
Resource Relation:
Other Information: Thesis (Ph. D.)
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English