Investigating DNA Radiation Damage Using X-Ray Absorption Spectroscopy |
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| Authors: | Joanna Czapla-Masztafiak Jakub Szlachetko Christopher?J. Milne Ewelina Lipiec Jacinto Sá Thomas?J. Penfold Thomas Huthwelker Camelia Borca Rafael Abela Wojciech?M. Kwiatek |
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| Affiliation: | 1.Paul Scherrer Institut, Villigen, Switzerland;2.Institute of Nuclear Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Krakow, Poland;3.Institute of Physics, Jan Kochanowski University in Kielce, Kielce, Poland;4.Ångström Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden;5.Institute of Physical Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland;6.Department of Chemistry, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom |
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| Abstract: | The biological influence of radiation on living matter has been studied for years; however, several questions about the detailed mechanism of radiation damage formation remain largely unanswered. Among all biomolecules exposed to radiation, DNA plays an important role because any damage to its molecular structure can affect the whole cell and may lead to chromosomal rearrangements resulting in genomic instability or cell death. To identify and characterize damage induced in the DNA sugar-phosphate backbone, in this work we performed x-ray absorption spectroscopy at the P K-edge on DNA irradiated with either UVA light or protons. By combining the experimental results with theoretical calculations, we were able to establish the types and relative ratio of lesions produced by both UVA and protons around the phosphorus atoms in DNA. |
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