Response of phage T4 polynucleotide kinase toward dinucleotides containing apurinic sites: design of a 32P-postlabeling assay for apurinic sites in DNA.

The authors have examined the capacity of bacteriophage T4 polynucleotide kinase to phosphorylate the partially depurinated products of d-ApA, namely d-SpA and d-ApS (where S represents an apurinic deoxyribose group). It was observed that the enzyme acted only on the latter isomer. Since molecules of this type (d-NpS) are the sole apurinic site containing products resulting from the combined digestion of lightly depurinated DNA by snake venom phosphodiesterase and calf alkaline phosphatase they were able to devise a postlabeling assay for these biologically important DNA lesions. The method offers several advantages, including (a) elimination of the need for prelabeled DNA, (b) high (femtomole range) sensitivity, and (c) nearest-neighbor analysis of bases 5{prime} to apurinic/apyrimidinic sites. Using this assay, they obtained a value for the rate of depurination of form I pRSV neo plasmid DNA. The rate of depurination of poly(dA), treated in a similar fashion, was found to be {approximately}1 base per 10{sup 3} nucleotides per hour.