Long-distance charge transport in duplex DNA: The phonon-assisted polaron-like hopping mechanism

• DOI: 10.1073/pnas.96.15.8353
• Publication Date: 2002-07-26T14:38:21Z
• Authors: Paul T. Henderson; Denise Jones; Gregory Hampikian; Yongzhi Kan; Gary B. Schuster
• Keywords: Anthraquinones; Radical ion; Cleavage (geology)

An anthraquinone-linked duplex DNA oligomer containing 60 base pairs was synthesized by PCR. The strand complementary to the quinone-containing has four isolated GG steps, which serve as traps for a migrating radical cation. Irradiation of quinone leads electron transfer from forming anthraquinone anion and cation migrates through DNA, causing reaction at steps revealed breaks. efficiency cleavage falls off exponentially with distance (slope = −0.02 Å −1 ). This finding necessitates reinterpretation mechanisms proposed migration in DNA. We propose that cations form self-trapped polarons migrate thermally activated hopping.