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How nature covers its bases.
Samuel Boldissar1, Mattanjah S de Vries
1Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry University of California Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA. devries@chem.ucsb.edu.
Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics : PCCP
|April 6, 2018
Summary
DNA and RNA bases rapidly dissipate UV radiation energy, protecting them from damage. This UV protection mechanism, dependent on molecular structure, may explain the selection of life's building blocks on early Earth.
Area of Science:
- Photochemistry
- Astrobiology
- Molecular Biophysics
Background:
- Ultraviolet (UV) radiation impacts DNA and RNA bases, influencing early life's chemical evolution and causing DNA damage.
- Understanding nucleobase photochemistry is crucial for biomolecules and other compounds.
- Gas-phase studies offer intrinsic properties, detailed computational comparisons, and isomeric selectivity.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate the intrinsic photochemical properties of DNA and RNA bases in the gas phase.
- Elucidate the rapid decay pathways of UV-excited nucleobases.
- Explore the structure-dependent UV protection mechanisms of canonical nucleobases.
Main Methods:
- Focus on gas-phase experimental studies of nucleobases.
- Utilize high-level computational theory for detailed comparisons.
- Analyze photochemical properties and decay pathways following UV excitation.
Main Results:
- Canonical nucleobases rapidly decay from electronic excited states to the ground state via internal conversion (IC) within picoseconds.
- This rapid de-excitation pathway is highly dependent on the specific molecular structure of the nucleobase.
- Canonical DNA and RNA bases exhibit significant UV protection due to their short excited-state lifetimes.
Conclusions:
- The structure-dependent UV protection of nucleobases suggests a mechanism for the chemical selection of life's building blocks on early Earth.
- Canonical nucleobases are generally resistant to UV-induced photochemical damage.
- Further research is needed to fully understand the complexities and implications of nucleobase photochemistry.
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