Reaction of apurinic/apyrimidinic sites with [14C]methoxyamine. A method for the quantitative assay of AP sites in DNA.

A simple and rapid method is described for the determination of AP (apurinic/apyrimidinic) sites in DNA. The method involves the reaction of [14C]methoxyamine with the aldehyde group present in the deoxyribose moiety after a base loss. Studies with alkylated-depurinated DNA and with uracil-containing polydeoxyribonucleotides depyrimidinated by uracil-DNA glycosylase show that methoxyamine reacts with both apurinic and apyrimidinic sites in a rapid and exhaustive way. Under standard conditions (30-min incubation with 5 mM methoxyamine at 37 degrees C, pH 7.2) untreated DNA is almost unreactive and the [14C]methoxyamine incorporation in DNA is proportional to the number of AP sites. Since the methoxyamine reaction is free from any degradative effect on DNA, AP sites may be estimated from a simple determination of the acid-insoluble radioactivity.