Quantitative assay of photoinduced DNA strand breaks by real-time PCR

Real-time PCR (qPCR) - a modern methodology primarily used for studying gene expression has been employed for the quantitative assay of an important class of DNA damage - single strand breaks. These DNA lesions which may lead to highly cytotoxic double strand breaks were quantified in a model system where double stranded DNA was sensitized to UV photons by labeling with 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine. The amount of breaks formed due to irradiation with several doses of 320nm photons was assayed by two independent methods: LC-MS and qPCR. A very good agreement between the relative damage measured by the two completely different analytical tools proves the applicability of qPCR for the quantitative analysis of SSBs. Our results suggest that the popularity of the hitherto underestimated though accurate and site-specific technique of real-time PCR may increase in future DNA damage studies.