Atomic Force Microscopy Investigation of Radiation-Induced DNA Double Strand Breaks

Authors

D. Pang, Georgetown University Medical CenterFollow
G. Popescu, Georgetown University Medical Center
J. Rodgers, Georgetown University Medical Center
B. L. Berman, The George Washington University
A. Dritschilo, Georgetown University Medical Center

Abstract

We have used atomic force microscopy (AFM) to study radiation-induced DNA double strand breaks. Double-stranded plasmid DNA was irradiated with 18-MeV electrons in aqueous buffer, using a medical linear accelerator. Doses of 50, 100, 150, and 200 Gy were delivered to DNA samples, and atomic force microscopy was used to measure the length of each DNA fragment. From these measurements, we obtained the average length of the irradiated DNA for each sample and found a linear-quadratic relationship between the average length and radiation dose.

Recommended Citation

Pang, D.; Popescu, G.; Rodgers, J.; Berman, B. L.; and Dritschilo, A. (1996) "Atomic Force Microscopy Investigation of Radiation-Induced DNA Double Strand Breaks," Scanning Microscopy: Vol. 10: No. 4, Article 16.
Available at: https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/microscopy/vol10/iss4/16