title: [Copper-catalyzed cleavage of DNA by arenes].
abstract: DNA was found to be cleaved in neutral solutions containing arenes and copper (II) salts. The reaction is comparable in efficiency with the DNA cleavage by such systems as Cu(II)-phenanthroline and Cu(II)-ascorbic acid, but, in contrast to the latter, the system Cu(2+)-arene does not require the presence of an exogenous reducing agent or hydrogen peroxide. The system Cu(2+)-arene does not cleave DNA under anaerobic conditions. Catalase, sodium azide, and bathocuproine, which is a specific chelator of Cu(I), completely inhibit the reaction. The data obtained allow one to suppose that Cu(I) ions, superoxide radical, and singlet oxygen participate in the reaction. It has been shown by the EPR method using spin traps that the reaction proceeds with formation of alkoxyl radicals, which can insert breaks in the DNA molecule. For effective cleavage of DNA in the Cu(II)-o-bromobenzoic acid system, the radicals have to be generated by a specific copper-DNA-o-bromobenzoic acid complex, in which copper ions are most probably coordinated with oxygen atoms of the DNA phosphate groups. The English version of the paper: Russian Journal of Bioorganic Chemistry, 2003, vol. 29, no. 6; see also http://www.maik.ru.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Siberian Division, Russian Academy of Sciences, pr. akademika Lavrent'eva 8, Novosibirsk, 630090 Russia. o.koval@niboch.nsc
authors.forename: O A
authors.initials: OA
authors.lastname: Koval'
authors.forename: E G
authors.initials: EG
authors.lastname: Boguslavskiĭ
authors.forename: S B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Oleĭnikova
authors.forename: E L
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Chernolovskaia
authors.forename: V V
authors.initials: VV
authors.lastname: Litvak
authors.forename: V A
authors.initials: VA
authors.lastname: Nadolinnyĭ
authors.forename: V V
authors.initials: VV
authors.lastname: Blasov
mesh_terms: D002384:Catalysis; D003300:Copper / Q000737:chemistry*; D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry*; D004578:Electron Spin Resonance Spectroscopy; D006838:Hydrocarbons / Q000737:chemistry*; D006868:Hydrolysis
chemical_list: D006838:Hydrocarbons; D003300:Copper; D004247:DNA