MOLECULAR MECHANISM OF HIGH-ENERGY PROTON RADIATION - RAMAN-SPECTROSCOPIC CHARACTER OF MICROCOSMIC DAMAGE IN THE SPACE STRUCTURE OF DNA

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.