Despite the ground-breaking research of DNA structure, synthesis, and function, there is still much to learn from DNA. DNA is constantly exposed and vulnerable to intracellular and extracellular factors that lead to both temporary and permanent damages. It was recently discovered that DNA has many repair mechanisms that allows it to undo the lesions caused by different agents. For example, UV radiation has been shown to induce the formation of photoproducts, such as formation of pyrimidine dimers, that can lead to skin cancer. In this experiment, we are investigating what specific nucleotides and UV light may increase the chances of formation of photoproducts by exposing it to different wavelengths of the UV spectrum, and determining whether these lesions can be detected by the 5-(fur-2-yl)-2’-deoxyuridine probe.

Using a fluorescent probe to monitor DNA photoadducts

253rd National Meeting (2017)

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