Sugar phosphates radiolysis

The guanine moiety has the lowest ionization potential of any of the DNA bases or of the sugar-phosphate backbone. As a result, radiation-produced holes are stabilized as dG for hydrated DNA irradiated at 77 K There is an extensive literature describing the role of dG in the radiation chemistry of DNA as studied by pulse radiolysis, flash photolysis, and product analysis. In order to explicate the oxidative reaction sequence in irradiated DNA and to more firmly identify the relevant radical intermediates, ESR spectroscopy was employed to investigate y-irradiated hydrated DNA (T = 12 2). Some experiments were also performed on hydrated (T = 12 2) DNA in which an electron scavenger [thallium(ni) (TP )] was employed to isolate the oxidative path. Oxygen-17 isotopically enriched water was also used to confirm a proposed water addition step to G and the subsequent transformations that follow These experiments were run in oxygen-free samples under conditions for which indirect effects were unimportant. 

Fitchett M, Gilbert BC, Wilson RL (1988) Fragmentation reactions of radicals formed from sugar phosphates and the hydroxyl radical an investigation by electron spin resonance spectroscopy and pulse radiolysis. J Chem Soc Perkin Trans 2 673-689... 

Schuchmann H-P, von Sonntag C (1988) The oxidation of methanol and 2-propanol by potassium peroxodisulphate in aqueous solution free-radical chain mechanisms elucidated by radiation-chemical techniques. Radiat Phys Chem 32 149-156 Schuchmann H-P, Wagner R, von Sonntag C (1983) y-Radiolysis of 2 -deoxycytidine-5 -phosphate in deoxygenated aqueous solutions. OH radical-induced alternations at the sugar moiety. Z Naturforsch 38b 1213-1220... 

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