Project Title:
15.

Biological Studies of Materials Arising from Energy Operations

Interaction of Chemicals with Nucleic Acids

Relationship to Other Projects:

(Cont‘d.)

RX-0 3-06- (b)

RX-03-O2-d in collaboration with the Medical Research Council Biophysics

Research Unit and Department of Biophysics, King's College, London, as part
of a program on the storage and transfer of the genetic message.
Others working on the interaction of chemicals with nucleic acids
include David Davies at the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, and
H. M. Sobel and S, C, Jane at Departments of Chemistry and Radiation
Biology and Bio-Physics, University of Rochester,
Several other laboratories
are using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) to discern the interaction

between chemicals and monomeric substituents of nucleic acids,

The proposed

work will complement proposed studies of D, Borg in the BNL Medical Department
on the interaction of chemicals with substituents of nucleic acids and
eventually with nucleic acids themselves, to be followed by Electon Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) spectroscopy and NMR,
These studies also relate to studies on research in mutagenesis being

carried out by F, J. de Serres at Oak Ridge National Laboratory; on the

relation of cancer induction and genetic damage by J. H. Weisberger and

G. M. Williams at the National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda; and
extrapolating results of toxicity studies in laboratory animals to man by
D. P. Rall, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, North
Carolina,
16,

Technical Progress in FY 1973:
Project not yet

17.

*

initiated ,

-

Expected Results in FY 1974:
Project to be initiated in FY 1975,

18.

Expected Results in FY 1975:

The first task will be a survey of carcinogens soluble in body fluids
as well as polynuclear hydrocarbons that will require solubilization emitted
from fossil-fuel power plants and also present in urban atmosphere, Pure
COMP
GigR s of chemicals recognized as directly carcinogenic will be complexed

in v

The

} with DNA, various types of RNA, and synthetic polyribonucleotides,

feraccion of che carcinogens with nucleic acids will be followed
lotometrically, by melting-curve analysis, and when indicated, by

ultracentrifugation analysis.
In addition, where it is possible to get
complexes that remain re-soluble, x-ray diffraction studies will be made

on fibers of the complexes, and the data from these combined with molecular

model-building of the nucleic acids and the interacting molecules to determine the structure of the three-dimensional interaccion of the complex.
[t

(See Continuation Sheet)

11719330

RX- 387

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