Gamma-ray induced double-strand breaks in DNA resulting from randomly-inflicted single-strand breaks: Temporal local denaturation, a new radiation phenomenon?

The induction of single- and double-strand breaks in DNA by γ-rays has been measured. The maximum number of nucleotide paris (a) between two independently induced single-strand breaks in opposite strands of the DNA which cannot prevent the occurrence of a double-strand break was found to amount to about 16. This value did not differ...

Radiosensitization of biologically active DNA in cellular extracts by oxygen. Evidence that the presence of SH compounds is not required

The radiosensitization by oxygen of biologically active bacteriophage DNA in bacterial extracts was studied. The oxygen effect in such a system appeared not to be due or only to a minor extent to the presence of endogenous sulphydryl compounds. The components in a cell extract which enable oxygen and other sensitizers to sensitize DNA could not...