The production of single strand and double strand breaks in DNA in aqueous solution by vacuum UV photons below 10 eV.

The mechanisms of break formation in fully hydrated DNA have been investigated using monochromatic photons below 10 eV. This has been achieved by developing a novel 'wet cell' for irradiating DNA in aqueous solution. Our preliminary data show that 7-10 eV photons readily induce strand breaks even though almost all of the energy is absorbed in the water. Therefore, the mechanism for the induction of single and double strand breaks (SSBs and DSBs) most likely involves indirect damage by OH radicals and is substantiated by data from studies in the presence of the OH radical scavenger Tris, which showed a substantial protective effect. The dose-effect curve for DSB induction is seen to be linear, or near-linear, indicating the involvement of 1-hit mediated induction of DSBs. These data point to single-event induction of DSBs being a significant pathway with all radiation types.