Clustered DNA damage induced by ionizing radiaton

Yokoya, Akinari; Shikazono, Naoya; Urushibara, Ayumi; Fujii, Kentaro; Akamatsu, Ken; Watanabe, Ritsuko

Ionizing radiation causes modifications in a DNA molecule depending on the characteristic tack-structure in which two or more isolated lesions arise in a few nm scale (1 or 2 helical turn of DNA), known as "clustered DNA damage". These clustered DNA damages could be distinct from those by reactive oxygen species (ROS) endogenously induced on their severity of induction of biological effects such as mutation. However, the studies on the nature and repair mechanism of clustered DNA damage have still been behind because of the technical difficulties on determination of the chemical structure and yield. This article reviews some experimental evidences of the clustered DNA damages in this research field, as well as our recent progress on the studies on the clustered DNA damages using both molecular biological techniques and synchrotron spectroscopic method.