Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Nucleic Acids Research logoLink to Nucleic Acids Research
. 1977 May;4(5):1393–1407. doi: 10.1093/nar/4.5.1393

Strand breakage in solutions of DNA and ethidium bromide exposed to visible light.

P A Martens, D A Clayton
PMCID: PMC343763  PMID: 896466

Abstract

Breaks are introduced into DNA strands when DNA solutions containing ethidium bromide (EB) are exposed to incandescent light. The nicking rate is sensitive to the concentration of EB and the light intensity. At short exposure times, this rate is limited by photon capture and formation of an intermediate capable of nicking DNA and zero-order nicking kinetics are observed. If the EB is pre-irradiated, the nicking rate is limited by DNA concentration and first-order nicking kinetics are observed. The nicking rate is not greatly affected by the presence of a low frequency of ribonucleotides in the duplex structure. The nicking reaction produces neither double-strand breaks nor interstrand crosslinks. The nicks produced cannot be closed by DNA ligase. The fluorescent light intensities under normal laboratory conditions are insufficient to induce significant nicking.

Full text

PDF
1393

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Bazaral M., Helinski D. R. Circular DNA forms of colicinogenic factors E1, E2 and E3 from Escherichia coli. J Mol Biol. 1968 Sep 14;36(2):185–194. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(68)90374-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Berk A. J., Clayton D. A. Mechanism of mitochondrial DNA replication in mouse L-cells: topology of circular daughter molecules and dynamics of catenated oligomer formation. J Mol Biol. 1976 Jan 5;100(1):85–92. doi: 10.1016/s0022-2836(76)80036-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Blair D. G., Sherratt D. J., Clewell D. B., Helinski D. R. Isolation of supercoiled colicinogenic factor E 1 DNA sensitive to ribonuclease and alkali. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1972 Sep;69(9):2518–2522. doi: 10.1073/pnas.69.9.2518. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Bogenhagen D., Clayton D. A. The number of mitochondrial deoxyribonucleic acid genomes in mouse L and human HeLa cells. Quantitative isolation of mitochondrial deoxyribonucleic acid. J Biol Chem. 1974 Dec 25;249(24):7991–7995. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Clayton D. A., Davis R. W., Vinograd J. Homology and structural relationships between the dimeric and monomeric circular forms of mitochondrial DNA from human leukemic leukocytes. J Mol Biol. 1970 Jan 28;47(2):137–153. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(70)90335-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Deniss I. S., Morgan A. R. Studies on the mechanism of DNA cleavage by ethidium. Nucleic Acids Res. 1976 Feb;3(2):315–323. doi: 10.1093/nar/3.2.315. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Espejo R. T., Canelo E. S. Properties of bacteriophage PM2: a lipid-containing bacterial virus. Virology. 1968 Apr;34(4):738–747. doi: 10.1016/0042-6822(68)90094-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Greenfield L., Simpson L., Kaplan D. Conversion of closed circular DNA molecules to single-nicked molecules by digestion with DNAase I in the presence of ethidium bromide. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1975 Oct 15;407(3):365–375. doi: 10.1016/0005-2787(75)90104-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Grossman L. I., Watson R., Vinograd J. The presence of ribonucleotides in mature closed-circular mitochondrial DNA. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1973 Dec;70(12):3339–3343. doi: 10.1073/pnas.70.12.3339. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Kasamatsu H., Robberson D. L., Vinograd J. A novel closed-circular mitochondrial DNA with properties of a replicating intermediate. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1971 Sep;68(9):2252–2257. doi: 10.1073/pnas.68.9.2252. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Kline B. C., Helinski D. R. F 1 sex factor of Escherichia coli. Size and purification in the form of a strand-specific relaxation complex of supercoiled deoxyribonucleic acid and protein. Biochemistry. 1971 Dec 21;10(26):4975–4980. doi: 10.1021/bi00802a022. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Kriegstein H. J., Hogness D. S. Mechanism of DNA replication in Drosophila chromosomes: structure of replication forks and evidence for bidirectionality. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1974 Jan;71(1):135–139. doi: 10.1073/pnas.71.1.135. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. LENNOX E. S. Transduction of linked genetic characters of the host by bacteriophage P1. Virology. 1955 Jul;1(2):190–206. doi: 10.1016/0042-6822(55)90016-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Modrich P., Lehman I. R. Enzymatic joining of polynucleotides. IX. A simple and rapid assay of polynucleotide joining (ligase) activity by measurement of circle formation from linear deoxyadenylate-deoxythymidylate copolymer. J Biol Chem. 1970 Jul 25;245(14):3626–3631. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Robberson D. L., Clayton D. A., Morrow J. F. Cleavage of replicating forms of mitochondrial DNA by EcoRI endonuclease. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1974 Nov;71(11):4447–4451. doi: 10.1073/pnas.71.11.4447. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Smith C. A., Vinograd J. Small polydisperse circular DNA of HeLa cells. J Mol Biol. 1972 Aug 21;69(2):163–178. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(72)90222-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Nucleic Acids Research are provided here courtesy of Oxford University Press

RESOURCES