DNA/RNA: Building Blocks of Life Under UV Irradiation
Open accessAbstract
During the last 10 years, intense experimental and theoretical work has proven the existence of ultrafast nonradiative decay routes for UV-excited monomeric nucleic acid bases, accounting for their high photostability. This mechanism has been explained by the occurrence of easily accessible conical intersections connecting the first excited ππ* state with the ground state. However, recent studies of substituent and solvent effects indicate that the situation is more complicated than what was initially thought, notably by the presence of dark excited states. Moreover, the actual shape of the excited-state potential energy surface may induce nonexponential dynamics. Further efforts are needed in order to clarify how various environmental factors affect the structural and dynamical aspects of the nucleic acid base excited states.
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Microbial spores shift DNA from B-form to an A-like form that cannot make CPDs, using small acid soluble proteins that bind the DNA helix, because protein UV shielding is only a 2-fold effect.
“Microbial spores need to prevent CPDs and other lethal DNA damage for long time periods. UV shielding by protein is only a 2-fold effect. So spores instead shift their DNA conformation from B-form to an A-like form that can’t make CPDs, using small acid soluble proteins that bind the DNA helix (308).”
From Chemiexcitation: Mammalian Photochemistry in the Dark<sup>†</sup> (2023) · cites this paper as [308]
The Abstract discusses UV photostability of nucleic-acid bases, not protection of microbial spores. Searches for spores, small acid-soluble proteins, A-like DNA, CPDs, and two-fold protein shielding found no passage addressing the attributed mechanism or measurement. (LLM, conf=0.75)
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Chemiexcitation: Mammalian Photochemistry in the Dark<sup>†</sup>
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- Authors
- Gustavsson, T., Improta, R., & Markovitsi, D.
- Affiliations
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR)
- Corresponding author
- Gustavsson, Thomas
- Venue
- The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters
- Publisher
- American Chemical Society (ACS)
- Published
- 2010-06-15
- Volume
- 1
- Issue
- 13
- Pages
- 2025-2030
- ISSN
- 1948-7185 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2040814412
- Cited by
- 202
- References
- 39
- Citations by year
- 2026: 6 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 11 · 2022: 6 · 2021: 10 · 2020: 14 · 2019: 16 · 2018: 12 · 2017: 13 · 2016: 16 · 2015: 19 · 2014: 16 · 2013: 24 · 2012: 15
- FWCI
- 11.01
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- hal.science
- Licence
- other-oa
- Locations
- The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters (publishedVersion)
- HAL (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Chemistry › Physical and Theoretical Chemistry › Photochemistry and Electron Transfer Studies
- Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics › Spectroscopy and Quantum Chemical Studies
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › DNA and Nucleic Acid Chemistry
- Keywords
- nucleobases, UV photostability, nonradiative decay, conical intersections, excited-state potential energy surface, solvent effects, substituent effects, ultrafast dynamics, ππ* excited states
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