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Updated: Jul 5, 2026

Atomic Force Microscopy Investigations of DNA Lesion Recognition in Nucleotide Excision Repair
Published on: May 24, 2017
Chemical reagents for investigating the major groove of DNA
1University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA.
Abstract:
Chemical modification provides an inexpensive and rapid method for characterizing the structure of DNA and its association with drugs and proteins. Numerous conformation-specific probes are available, but most investigations rely on only the most common and readily available of these. The major groove of DNA is typically characterized by reaction with dimethyl sulfate, diethyl pyrocarbonate, potassium permanganate, osmium tetroxide, and, quite recently, bromide with monoperoxysulfate. This commentary discusses the specificity of these reagents and their applications in protection, interference, and missing contact experiments.
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