Effects of polyamines and thiols on the radiation sensitivity of bacterial transforming DNA.

The effects of polyamines on the loss of biological activity of bacterial transforming DNA irradiated in the absence and presence of sulphydryl-containing compounds has been investigated. In both oxygenated and hypoxic conditions the polyamines (spermine, spermidine, putrescine and cadaverine) are radioprotectors with the degree of protection increasing with increasing polyamine concentration. When O2-saturated DNA solutions are irradiated, the degree of radioprotection by polyamines generally correlates with the efficiency of scavenging of OH. radicals. In N2 the protection does not show that correlation; several possible reasons are discussed. With the exception of spermine, the polyamines are slightly more protective of oxygenated DNA than of hypoxic DNA. When DNA is irradiated in the presence of both polyamines and thiols, the combined protection is usually greater than that exhibited by either agent alone. When irradiation is in oxygen, the combined agents appear to operate by the same mechanism, namely OH. radical scavenging. In N2-saturated solutions, polyamines and dithiothreitol appear to act by different, non-interacting mechanisms; however WR1065 and polyamines may radioprotect by the same mechanism. Also, the results suggest that polyamines may reduce the ability of some thiols to radioprotect DNA.