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PHOTODYNAMIC DEGRADATION OF NUCLEIC ACIDS *
Author(s) -
Bellin J. S.,
Grossman L. I.
Publication year - 1965
Publication title -
photochemistry and photobiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.818
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1751-1097
pISSN - 0031-8655
DOI - 10.1111/j.1751-1097.1965.tb05724.x
Subject(s) - nucleic acid , chemistry , guanine , dna , degradation (telecommunications) , molecule , metastability , nucleic acid quantitation , biochemistry , melting curve analysis , biophysics , nucleotide , organic chemistry , biology , polymerase chain reaction , telecommunications , gene , computer science
— The rate of photodynamic degradation of deoxy‐nucleic acids of various origins was followed by noting changes in their melting curves. The rate of degradation was proportional to the mole fraction of guanine residues in the nucleic acids, except for T4r + bacteriophage DNA which showed greater susceptibility than this rule would predict. The ability of dyes to act as sensitizers is correlated with their ability to form dye molecules in a metastable excited state. In addition, the binding of dyes to specific sites on the nucleic acid molecule was shown to be of great importance. Biological activity is a much more sensitive indicator of structural integrity of DNA than is the melting curve.