title: Reduced formation of bipyrimidine photoproducts in DNA UV irradiated at high intensity.
abstract: DNA was irradiated using an excimer laser (248 nm) at low intensity (3.15 x 10(7) watts/m2) or high intensity (1.25 x 10(11) watts/m2). Fluences up to 30 kJ/m2 were delivered at either intensity. Following irradiation, DNA damage products were measured, yielding the following findings: 1) the rate of formation of thymine-thymine and thymine-cytosine cyclobutane dimers and the bipyrimidine photoadduct 6-4'-[pyrimidine-2'-one]thymine were reduced at high intensity by about 2-fold and 2) extensive release of free thymine and thymine decomposition fragments occurred at high intensity, but not at low intensity. The effects of high intensity UV are due to promotion of low-lying excited state(s) by absorption of a second photon, producing higher excited state(s) with consequent ionization and base loss. Possible excited state intermediates in this process are the lowest triplet state of DNA bases and prolonged singlet states associated with excimer formation. The depletion of these excited states via promotion may be the cause of the diminished yield of bimolecular pyrimidine photoproducts, suggesting that these photoproducts are formed at low UV intensity in part from long-lived excited states. Long-lived excited states present at conventional UV intensities may contribute to formation of some photoproducts that occur rarely, but are of potential biologic importance, such as dimers between nonadjacent pyrimidines on the same strand and interstrand dimers forming DNA cross-links.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, F. Edward Herbert School of Medicine, Bethesda, Maryland 20814-4799.
authors.forename: T W
authors.initials: TW
authors.lastname: Masnyk
authors.forename: H T
authors.initials: HT
authors.lastname: Nguyen
authors.forename: K W
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Minton
mesh_terms: D004247:DNA / Q000528:radiation effects*; D004249:DNA Damage; D004307:Dose-Response Relationship, Radiation; D007834:Lasers; D010782:Photolysis; D011740:Pyrimidine Dimers / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D013941:Thymine / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000528:radiation effects; D014466:Ultraviolet Rays
chemical_list: D011740:Pyrimidine Dimers; D004247:DNA; D013941:Thymine