Yield of single- and double-strand breaks and nucleobase lesions in fully hydrated plasmid DNA films irradiated with high-LET charged particles

Ushigome, Takeshi*; Shikazono, Naoya; Fujii, Kentaro; Watanabe, Ritsuko; Suzuki, Masao*; Tsuruoka, Chizuru*; Tauchi, Hiroshi*; Yokoya, Akinari

The yield of DNA damage produced in fully hydrated plasmid DNA films has been investigated to determine the linear energy transfer (LET) dependence of damage induction. The yield of single strand breaks (SSBs) with increasing LET levels of He, C and Ne ions. On the other hand, the yields of prompt double strand breaks (DSBs) increased with increasing LET. SSBs were additionally induced by treatment with base excision repair proteins, glycosylases, indicating that base lesions are produced in the hydrated DNA. This result shows that nucleobase lesions are produced via both chemical reactions with diffusible water radicals and direct energy deposition onto DNA or the hydrated layer. The yield of SSBs or DSBs observed by enzymatic treatment notably decreased with increasing LET. These results indicated that higher LET ions preferentially produce a complex type of damage that might compromise the activities of the proteins used in this study.