Ym. Xu et al., MOLECULAR MECHANISM OF HIGH-ENERGY PROTON RADIATION - RAMAN-SPECTROSCOPIC CHARACTER OF MICROCOSMIC DAMAGE IN THE SPACE STRUCTURE OF DNA, Science in China. Series B, Chemistry, life sciences & earth sciences, 36(11), 1993, pp. 1325-1332
High energy proton is an important type of the space radiation. The pa
per investigates the radiation effect of high energy proton (27.9 MeV)
on DNA aqueous solution in the field of the molecular mechanism. The
following information about the microcosmic damage to the space struct
ure of DNA was obtained: (i) breakage of a part of interbase hydrogen
bonds which maintained double helical structure of DNA; (ii) damage on
four bases, in which the damage on adenine ring was the most serious;
(iii) obvious change of deoxyribose; (iv) serious damage on backbone
phosphate ion (PO2-) and phosphate diester (PO2) and the occurrence of
scissions of double-stranded and single-stranded DNAs; (v)obvious dec
rease in the amount of B-form conformation.