Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 10, 2026

Free Radicals in Chemical Biology: from Chemical Behavior to Biomarker Development
14:22

Free Radicals in Chemical Biology: from Chemical Behavior to Biomarker Development

Published on: April 15, 2013

Conformation and proton configuration of pyrimidine deoxynucleoside oxidation damage products in water

C J La Francois1, Y H Jang, T Cagin

  • 1Division of Pediatrics, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope National Medical Center, 1500 East Duarte Road, Duarte, California 91010, USA.

Chemical Research in Toxicology
|June 20, 2000
PubMed

Insights

DNA base oxidation can cause genomic instability. This study examines oxidized pyrimidine structures, revealing how these changes impact DNA replication and protein interactions, potentially leading to mutations.

Area of Science:

  • Molecular Biology
  • Biochemistry
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Oxidation of DNA bases is increasingly linked to genomic instability.
  • Oxidative DNA damage can alter DNA structure, affecting replication fidelity and DNA-protein interactions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the structural characteristics of oxidized pyrimidine deoxynucleosides in aqueous solution.
  • To understand how base oxidation influences key molecular properties like ionization, sugar conformation, and tautomeric state.

Main Methods:

  • Studied deoxynucleoside derivatives of 5-hydroxyuracil, 5-hydroxycytosine, 5-(hydroxymethyl)uracil, 5-(hydroxymethyl)cytosine, 5-formyluracil, and 5-formylcytosine.
  • Utilized UV, proton, and nitrogen NMR spectroscopy on (15)N-enriched samples to analyze structural and chemical properties.

Main Results:

  • Determined the ionization constants, sugar conformation, and tautomeric configurations of various oxidized pyrimidine deoxynucleosides.
  • Provided structural insights into DNA damage products formed by oxidation.

Conclusions:

  • Structural perturbations induced by DNA base oxidation can significantly impact DNA structure and function.
  • These findings highlight the potential biological consequences of oxidative DNA damage on genomic integrity.

More Related Videos

HPLC Measurement of the DNA Oxidation Biomarker, 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2’-deoxyguanosine, in Cultured Cells and Animal Tissues14:12

HPLC Measurement of the DNA Oxidation Biomarker, 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2’-deoxyguanosine, in Cultured Cells and Animal Tissues

Published on: August 1, 2015

Quantification of three DNA Lesions by Mass Spectrometry and Assessment of Their Levels in Tissues of Mice Exposed to Ambient Fine Particulate Matter12:15

Quantification of three DNA Lesions by Mass Spectrometry and Assessment of Their Levels in Tissues of Mice Exposed to Ambient Fine Particulate Matter

Published on: May 29, 2019

Related Concept Videos

Proofreading01:43

Proofreading

Synthesis of new DNA molecules starts when DNA polymerase links nucleotides together in a sequence that is complementary to the template DNA strand. DNA polymerase has a higher affinity for the correct base to ensure fidelity in DNA replication. The DNA polymerase furthermore proofreads during replication, using an exonuclease domain that cuts off incorrect nucleotides from the nascent DNA strand.Errors during Replication Are Corrected by the DNA Polymerase EnzymeGenomic DNA is synthesized in...
Nucleotide Excision Repair01:08

Nucleotide Excision Repair

Overview
Overview of DNA Repair02:25

Overview of DNA Repair

In order to be passed through generations, genomic DNA must be undamaged and error-free. However, every day, DNA in a cell undergoes several thousand to a million damaging events by natural causes and external factors. Ionizing radiation such as UV rays, free radicals produced during cellular respiration, and hydrolytic damage from metabolic reactions can alter the structure of DNA. Damages caused include single-base alteration, base dimerization, chain breaks, and cross-linkage.
Chemically...
Nucleotide Excision Repair01:08

Nucleotide Excision Repair

Overview
Nucleotide Excision Repair01:38

Nucleotide Excision Repair

DNA Distortion and Damage
Cells are regularly exposed to mutagens—factors in the environment that can damage DNA and generate mutations. UV radiation is one of the most common mutagens and is estimated to introduce a significant number of changes in DNA. These include bends or kinks in the structure, which can block DNA replication or transcription. If these errors are not fixed, the damage can cause mutations, which in turn can result in cancer or disease depending on which sequences are...
Spontaneous and Induced Mutations01:30

Spontaneous and Induced Mutations

Spontaneous mutations arise infrequently during DNA replication due to errors in the process. A key factor behind these errors is tautomeric shifts in nitrogenous bases, where bases transition from keto to enol forms or amino to imino forms. This shift can alter base-pairing rules, leading to mutations. Additionally, reactive oxygen species (ROS) arising from aerobic metabolism can damage DNA, resulting in depurination (loss of a purine base) or depyrimidination (loss of a pyrimidine base).