Dynamical Signature of Abasic Damage in DNA

Time-dependent Stokes shift (TDSS) responses in proteins and DNA exhibit a broad range of long time scales (>10 ps) that are not present in bulk aqueous solution. The physical interpretation of the long TDSS time scales in biomolecular systems is a matter of considerable debate because of the many different components present in the sample (water, biomolecule, counterions), which have highly correlated motions and intrinsically different abilities to adapt to local perturbations. Here we use molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to show that the surprisingly slow (∼10 ns) TDSS response of coumarin 102 (C102), a base pair replacement, reflects a distinct dynamical signature for DNA damage. When the C102 molecule is covalently incorporated into DNA, an abasic site is created on the strand opposite the C102 probe. The abasic sugar exhibits a reversible interchange between intra- and extrahelical conformations that are kinetically stable on a nanosecond time scale. This conformational change, only possible in d...