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Updated: Aug 9, 2026

Single Molecule Analysis of Laser Localized Psoralen Adducts
Published on: April 20, 2017
Energy and charge localization in irradiated DNA
C E Swenberg1, L S Myers, J H Miller
1Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute, Bethesda, MD 20889-5603, USA.
Abstract:
The relation between the site of energy deposition and the site of its biological action is an important question in radiobiology. Even at 77 degrees K, evidence is clear that these two sites must be separated since energy deposition is random but specific products are formed. Several processes that may contribute to this separation are: 1) hole migration and stabilization through deprotonation to give neutral oxidation product radicals; 2) electron trapping and transfer to form specific radical anions, possibly followed by protonation to give neutral reduction product radicals; and 3) recombination of spatially separated charges or radicals. These microscopic processes will be reviewed critically in an analysis using electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy (EPR) evidence for and against long-range transfer of energy and/or charge in frozen, hydrated DNA.
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