SOME EFFECTS OF AIR POLLUTANT, PEROXYACETYL NITRATE, UPON DEOXYRIBONUCLEIC ACID AND UPON NUCLEIC ACID BASES

Some reactions between the air pollutant peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN) and isolated bacterial deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) are presented. PAN causes a reduction in genetic transforming activity, melting temperature and viscosity of the DNA. PAN also reduces the infectivity of bacteriophage. It is shown that the intensity and type of reaction is pH dependent, and that the reaction depends upon the presence of a rapidly dissipated transient molecule produced from PAN as it enters solution. Furthermore, peroxyacetyl nitrate modifies some nucleic acid bases, when freshly gassed into aqueous solutions of the base. The susceptibility sequence to PAN attack is thymine, guanine, uracil, cytosine, adenine. No reaction was detected above pH 5, and the reaction rate increases as the pH is lowered. One of the reaction products is CO2, which is excised from the 2-carbon of thymine. This reaction predominates at pH 4, whereas at pH 2 at least 5 reaction products are produced, including CO2. © 1967.