Radical Chemistry in Nucleic Acid Systems
Summary
Radical chemistry in nucleic acid systems encompasses the formation, reactivity and repair of species bearing unpaired electrons within DNA and RNA. Such radicals may arise through endogenous processes—such as mitochondrial respiration and enzymatic oxidations—or via exogenous insults including ionising radiation and photochemical activation. Central to this field is the study of hydroxyl, superoxide and nucleobase-centred radicals, whose interactions with sugar, phosphate and base moieties can induce strand breaks, base modifications and crosslinks. Mechanistic investigations employ spectroscopic tools (pulse radiolysis, infrared photodissociation), mass spectrometry and quantum-chemical calculations to delineate pathways of hydrogen abstraction, addition to unsaturated bonds and radical cation fragmentation. Insights into the energetics of these processes inform our understanding of oxidative DNA damage, mutagenesis and the molecular basis of ageing. Moreover, controlled radical chemistry underpins emerging biotechnological applications such as site-specific labelling, photorepair by photolyases and development of novel phototherapeutic agents. Advances in computational modelling now allow for explicit treatment of solvent effects and anharmonic vibrations, refining predictions of rate constants and preferred reaction channels. Collectively, this body of work reveals the delicate balance of radical generation and scavenging that sustains genomic integrity and offers routes to manipulate nucleic acid function for therapeutic benefit.
Research from Nature Portfolio
No recent Nature Portfolio content available.
Radical Chemistry in Nucleic Acid Systems publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in radical chemistry in nucleic acid systems across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Radical: A species containing one or more unpaired electrons, often highly reactive.
Radical cation: A positively charged radical formed by loss of an electron.
Hydrogen abstraction: A reaction in which a radical removes a hydrogen atom from a target molecule, generating a new radical site.
Anharmonicity: Deviation of molecular vibrations from the ideal harmonic oscillator model, affecting energy levels and reaction barriers.
Polarizable continuum model (PCM): A computational approach representing solvent as a continuous dielectric medium around a solute.
References
- A Theoretical Study of Hydrogen Abstraction Reactions in Guanosine and Uridine. International Journal of Molecular Sciences (2023).
- The Importance of Anharmonicity and Solvent Effects on the OH Radical Attack on Nucleobases. International Journal of Molecular Sciences (2024).
About these summaries
This Nature Research Intelligence Topic summary is created with the cited references and a large language model. We take care to ground generated text with facts, and have systems in place to gain human feedback on the overall quality of the process in line with our AI principles. We strive to create accurate and useful summaries for people unfamiliar with the research topic and that supports this goal. These pages are a beta release and will be updated as we learn how best to help people gain value from a research topic summary.
Turn complex research questions into confident strategic decisions
When you're under pressure to set direction, justify investment, or understand your competitive position, you need more than raw data — you need trusted insights you can act on.
Benchmark your performance against global peers using robust, methodologically sound analysis.
Combine quantitative metrics with qualitative expert insight to uncover strengths, gaps and emerging opportunities.
Gain tailored, decision-ready recommendations aligned to your strategic priorities.
Talk to us to learn more about our data dashboards and bespoke strategy reports.
Grow research skills, confidence and careers with training built for every stage of the research lifecycle.
Developed with Nature Portfolio journal Editors and internationally renowned experts. Discover three ways to learn:
Self-paced, online courses in convenient bite-sized units, covering key skills across scientific writing, publishing, grant writing, data analysis, and more.
Expert trainer-led workshops with hands-on exercises and real-time feedback across core research skills, delivered via interactive group sessions.
Editor-led workshops combining core principles in writing and publishing, personalised 1:1 feedback from Nature Portfolio Editors and hands-on exercises.
Explore course catalogues and workshop agendas, enquire about the options or request institutional pricing.