Mechanism of the Decay of Thymine Triplets in DNA Single Strands.
The decay of triplet states and the formation of cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPDs) after UV excitation of the all-thymine oligomer (dT)18 and the locked dinucleotide TLpTL were studied by nanosecond IR spectroscopy. IR marker bands characteristic for the CPD lesion and the triplet state were observed from ∼1 ns (time resolution of the setup) onward. The amplitudes of the CPD marker bands remain constant throughout the time range covered (up to 10 μs). The triplet decays with a time constant of ∼10 ns presumably via a biradical intermediate (lifetime ∼60 ns). This biradical has often been invoked as an intermediate for CPD formation via the triplet channel. The present results lend strong support to the existence of this intermediate, yet there is no indication that its decay contributes significantly to CPD formation.
†Lehrstuhl für BioMolekulare Optik, Fakultät für Physik and Munich Center for Integrated Protein Science CIPSM, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Oettingenstr. 67, 80538 München, Germany.
Bert M
BM
Pilles
†Lehrstuhl für BioMolekulare Optik, Fakultät für Physik and Munich Center for Integrated Protein Science CIPSM, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Oettingenstr. 67, 80538 München, Germany.
Dominik B
DB
Bucher
†Lehrstuhl für BioMolekulare Optik, Fakultät für Physik and Munich Center for Integrated Protein Science CIPSM, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Oettingenstr. 67, 80538 München, Germany.
Lizhe
L
Liu
§Institut de Chimie Moléculaire de Reims, CNRS UMR 7312, Université de Reims Champagne Ardenne, UFR de Pharmacie, 51 rue Cognacq-Jay, 51096 Reims Cedex, France.
Pascale
P
Clivio
‡Institut für Physikalische Chemie, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Universitätsstr. 1, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany.
Peter
P
Gilch
†Lehrstuhl für BioMolekulare Optik, Fakultät für Physik and Munich Center for Integrated Protein Science CIPSM, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Oettingenstr. 67, 80538 München, Germany.
Wolfgang
W
Zinth
†Lehrstuhl für BioMolekulare Optik, Fakultät für Physik and Munich Center for Integrated Protein Science CIPSM, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Oettingenstr. 67, 80538 München, Germany.
Wolfgang J
WJ
Schreier
DNA photolesions; DNA photophysics; cyclobutane pyrimidine dimer; ns TRIR spectroscopy; thymine triplet state