OH radical-induced main-chain scission of poly(ribonucleic acids) under anoxic conditions

Poly(ribonucleic acids), poly A, poly C and poly U, were irradiated in O2-free dilute aqueous solution at pH 7 to 8 with single pulses (50 to 200 ns) of 16 MeV electrons. With the aid of Rayleigh light scattering measurements main-chain scission, induced by OH radicals, was observed with the three polynucleotides. From the time dependence of the decrease of the light scattering intensity (LSI), the existence of two modes of decrease was inferred, indicating at least two different chemical mechanisms were operative in main-chain degradation. Evidence for the assignment of the slow mode of LSI decrease to the lifetime of a free radical was obtained from quenching experiments with cysteamine. It is noteworthy, that the extent and the lifetime of LSI decrease are not the same for the three polynucleotides. The differences indicate the influence of the chemical nature of the bases on main-chain scission. Consequently, it is concluded that OH attack at carbons in 1' and/or 2' position of the ribose moiety contributes essentially to the degradation mechanism.