V. Shafirovich et al., The kinetic deuterium isotope effect as a probe of a proton coupled electron transfer mechanism in the oxidation of guanine by 2-aminopurine radicals, J PHYS CH B, 104(1), 2000, pp. 137-139
Photoexcitation of 2-aminopurine riboside (2APr, 2-amino-9-beta-D-ribofuran
osylpurine) and 2-aminopurine (2AP) in oxygenated aqueous buffer solutions
(pH 7.0) with 308 nm XeCl excimer laser pulses (fwhm = 12 ns, ca. 70 mJ/pul
se/cm(2)) results in the consecutive two-photon ionization of the aromatic
2APr (or 2AP) residues. In neutral solutions, the 2APr (or 2AP) radical cat
ions rapidly deprotonate (<100 ns). The 2APr(-H)(.) (or 2AP(-H)(.) neutral
radicals thus formed reversibly oxidize 2-deoxyguanosine 5'-monophosphate (
dGMP) on mu s time scales, resulting in the formation of dGMP(-H)(.) neutra
l radicals. Transient absorption measurements show that a remarkable solven
t isotope effect is observed on the kinetics of oxidation of dGMP by 2APr(-
H)(.) (or 2AP(-H)(.)) radicals in H2O and D2O solutions. In H2O, the rate c
onstants of dGMP(-H)(.) formation, as well as the rate constants of the rev
erse reaction of the: 2APr (or 2AP) oxidation by dGMP(-H)(.) is larger than
in D2O by a factor of 1.5-2. This kinetic isotope effect indicates that th
e electron-transfer reaction from dGMP to 2APr(-H)(.) (or to 2AP(-H)(.)), a
nd: the: reverse electron transfer from 2APr (or 2AP) to dGMP(-H)(.), is co
upled to a deprotonation of the primary electron-transfer radical cation pr
oducts, dGMP(.+) and 2APr(.+) (or 2AP(.+)). Therefore, these reactions, inv
olving redox equilibria between different nucleobases, can be considered in
terms of proton-coupled electron-transfer reactions.