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Elsevier, Biophysical Journal, 2(104), p. 178a, 2013

DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2012.11.1000

American Institute of Physics, The Journal of Chemical Physics, 17(138), p. 174907

DOI: 10.1063/1.4802993

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Probability of Double-Strand Breaks in Genome-Sized DNA by γ-Ray Decreases Markedly as the DNA Concentration Increases

This paper is made freely available by the publisher.
This paper is made freely available by the publisher.

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Abstract

By use of the single-molecule observation, we count the number of DNA double-strand breaks caused by γ-ray irradiation with genome-sized DNA molecules (166 kbp). We find that P1, the number of double-strand breaks (DSBs) per base pair per unit Gy, is nearly inversely proportional to the DNA concentration above a certain threshold DNA concentration. The inverse relationship implies that the total number of DSBs remains essentially constant. We give a theoretical interpretation of our experimental results in terms of attack of reactive species upon DNA molecules, indicating the significance of the characteristics of genome-sized giant DNA as semiflexible polymers for the efficiency of DSBs.