Biomaterial Database

Psoralen photochemistry and nucleic acid structure. 1981

J E Hearst

Many new psoralen derivatives have been synthesized in an effort to enhance their water solubility and their binding to nucleic acids. Availability of the very soluble strongly binding compounds has improved our abilities to follow the optical changes associated with the photochemistry of psoralens with DNA. Changes in both absorbance and fluorescence are presented in this review. A kinetic model for the photochemistry concludes that the detailed kinetics is dominated by the equilibrium constant for intercalation of the psoralen in the DNA, the quantum yield for photoaddition to DNA once intercalated and the quantum yield for photodestruction of the drug in water. With these 3 parameters the kinetics of photochemistry is predictable. The values of these parameters for numerous derivatives of 8-methoxypsoralen and 4,5',8 trimethylpsoralen are presented. Application of this photochemistry to a study of nucleic acid secondary structure in chromatin, fd bacteriophage, and in ribosomes is reviewed.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007700	Kinetics	The rate dynamics in chemical or physical systems.
D009369	Neoplasms	New abnormal growth of tissue. Malignant neoplasms show a greater degree of anaplasia and have the properties of invasion and metastasis, compared to benign neoplasms.	Benign Neoplasm,Cancer,Malignant Neoplasm,Tumor,Tumors,Benign Neoplasms,Malignancy,Malignant Neoplasms,Neoplasia,Neoplasm,Neoplasms, Benign,Cancers,Malignancies,Neoplasias,Neoplasm, Benign,Neoplasm, Malignant,Neoplasms, Malignant
D009696	Nucleic Acids	High molecular weight polymers containing a mixture of purine and pyrimidine nucleotides chained together by ribose or deoxyribose linkages.	Nucleic Acid,Acid, Nucleic,Acids, Nucleic
D010777	Photochemistry	A branch of physical chemistry which studies chemical reactions, isomerization and physical behavior that may occur under the influence of visible and/or ultraviolet light.	Photochemistries
D010789	Phototherapy	Treatment of disease by exposure to light, especially by variously concentrated light rays or specific wavelengths.	Blue Light Therapy,Blue-light Therapy,Light Therapy,Photoradiation Therapy,Red Light Phototherapy,Therapy, Photoradiation,Blue Light Therapies,Blue-light Therapies,Light Phototherapies, Red,Light Phototherapy, Red,Light Therapies,Light Therapies, Blue,Light Therapy, Blue,Photoradiation Therapies,Phototherapies,Phototherapies, Red Light,Phototherapy, Red Light,Red Light Phototherapies,Therapies, Blue Light,Therapies, Blue-light,Therapies, Light,Therapies, Photoradiation,Therapy, Blue Light,Therapy, Blue-light,Therapy, Light
D011564	Furocoumarins	Polycyclic compounds consisting of a furan ring fused with coumarin. They commonly occur in PLANTS, especially UMBELLIFERAE and RUTACEAE, as well as PSORALEA.	Furanocoumarin,Furanocoumarins,Furocoumarin,Psoralens,Angelicins
D004247	DNA	A deoxyribonucleotide polymer that is the primary genetic material of all cells. Eukaryotic and prokaryotic organisms normally contain DNA in a double-stranded state, yet several important biological processes transiently involve single-stranded regions. DNA, which consists of a polysugar-phosphate backbone possessing projections of purines (adenine and guanine) and pyrimidines (thymine and cytosine), forms a double helix that is held together by hydrogen bonds between these purines and pyrimidines (adenine to thymine and guanine to cytosine).	DNA, Double-Stranded,Deoxyribonucleic Acid,ds-DNA,DNA, Double Stranded,Double-Stranded DNA,ds DNA
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000998	Antiviral Agents	Agents used in the prophylaxis or therapy of VIRUS DISEASES. Some of the ways they may act include preventing viral replication by inhibiting viral DNA polymerase; binding to specific cell-surface receptors and inhibiting viral penetration or uncoating; inhibiting viral protein synthesis; or blocking late stages of virus assembly.	Antiviral,Antiviral Agent,Antiviral Drug,Antivirals,Antiviral Drugs,Agent, Antiviral,Agents, Antiviral,Drug, Antiviral,Drugs, Antiviral
D014612	Vaccines	Suspensions of killed or attenuated microorganisms (bacteria, viruses, fungi, protozoa), antigenic proteins, synthetic constructs, or other bio-molecular derivatives, administered for the prevention, amelioration, or treatment of infectious and other diseases.	Vaccine