Double-Strand Breaks in Genome-Sized DNA Caused by Ultrasound

DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) caused by ultrasound were evaluated in a quantitative manner by single-molecule fluorescence microscopy. We compared the effect of time-interval (or pulse) sonication to that of continuous wave (CW) sonication at a fixed frequency of 30 kHz. Pulses caused fewer DSBs than CW sonication under the same total input ultrasound energy when the pulse repetition period was above the order of a second. In contrast, pulses caused more DSBs than CW sonication for pulse widths shorter than a second. These effect of ultrasound on DNA were interpreted in terms of the time-dependent decay in the probability of breakage during the duration of a pulse. We propose a simple phenomenological model by considering a characteristic decay in the probability of DSBs during single-pulse sonication, which reproduces the essence of the experimental trend. In addition, a data analysis revealed a characteristic scaling behavior between the number of pulses and the number of DSBs.