Formation of cross-linked adducts between guanine and thymine mediated by hydroxyl radical and one-electron oxidation: a theoretical study.

The role of local geometric and stereo-electronic effects in tuning the preference for different cross-linked adducts between thymine and purinic bases has been analyzed by a computational approach rooted in density functional theory. Our study points out that G--T and T--G tandem lesions are produced according to the same mechanism as A--T and T--A intrastrand adducts, and in both cases purine--T adducts are preferred rather than the opposite sequences. Moreover, use of conceptual DFT tools allows the rationalization of the preferential occurrence of G--T and T--G tandem lesions in place of their A--T and T--A counterparts.