The results of experiments, which measured the damage induced by the impact of low energy electrons (LEE) on DNA under ultra-high vacuum conditions, are reviewed with emphasis on transient anion formation. The experiments are briefly described and several examples are presented from results on the yields of fragments produced as a function of the incident energy (0.1–30 eV) of the electrons. By comparing the results from experiments with different forms of the DNA molecule (i.e., from short single stranded DNA having four bases to plasmids involving ~3,000 base pairs) and theory, it is possible to determine fundamental mechanisms that are involved in the dissociation of basic DNA components, base release and the production of single, double-strand breaks and cross-links. Below 15 eV, electron resonances (i.e., the formation of transient anions) play a dominant role in the fragmentation of any bonds within DNA. These transient anions modify or fragment DNA by decaying into dissociative electronically excited states or by dissociating into a stable anion and a neutral radical. The fragments can initiate further reactions within DNA and thus cause more complex chemical damage. The incident electron wave can first diffract within the molecule before temporary localization on a basic DNA unit, but when transient anion decay by electron emission occurs, the departing electron wave can also be strongly enhanced by constructive interference within the DNA molecule. The experiments with oligonucleotides reported in this article show that the amount of damage generated by 3–15 eV electrons is dependent on base identity, base sequence and electron energy. Capture of a LEE by a DNA subunit may also be followed by electron transfer to another. Such transfers are affected by base stacking and sequence. Furthermore, the damage is strongly dependent on the topology and environment of DNA and the type of counter ion on the phosphate group. In particular, condensing H2O on a DNA induces the formation of a new type of transient anion whose parent is a H2O-DNA complex. Finally, under identical conditions, LEE were found to be three times more effective than X rays to produce strand breaks
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Sanche, L. (2008). Low Energy Electron Damage To DNA. In: Shukla, M.K., Leszczynski, J. (eds) Radiation Induced Molecular Phenomena in Nucleic Acids. Challenges and Advances In Computational Chemistry and Physics, vol 5. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-8184-2_19
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