Mechanisms of low energy electron damage to condensed biomolecules and DNA

It has recently been shown that 3-20 eV electron impact on vacuum-dry samples of plasmid DNA induced substantial yields of single and double strand breaks (SSBs and DSBs). These results are summarised in the present article along with those obtained from the fragmentation of elementary components (i.e. condensed H2O, bases and sugar analogues) of DNA induced by low energy electron impact under ultra high vacuum conditions. By comparing the results from these experiments, it is possible to determine fundamental mechanisms by which low energy electrons damage DNA. The decay of transient anions formed on the DNA's basic components is found to play a crucial role in producing SSBs and DSBs. Since a large portion of the energy deposited by ionising radiation first leads to the production of low energy secondary electrons, these findings provide basic knowledge necessary to understand the genotoxic effects of high energy radiation and eventually modify these effects at the molecular level.