Oberacher,H.; Erb,R.; Plattner,S.; Chervet,J.P.;

Oxidation reactions play a major role in the modification of nucleobases in DNA and RNA. Enzymatic oxidation reactions are involved in the control of epigenetic signaling as part of DNA-demethylation pathways. Oxidative stress gives rise to non-enzymatic oxidation. Many different oxidative DNA modifications have been identified. The cellular responses to such oxidative damage involve several processes, such as DNA repair, cell-cycle arrest and apoptosis. Persistent DNA damage may result in genomic instability, which is considered to play a role in the development of cardiovascular and neurological diseases, aging and cancer. Due to the involvement of nucleic-acid oxidation in many biological processes, understanding the underlying mechanisms is of the utmost importance. Herein, we demonstrate the vast potential of electrochemistry coupled to liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry as a tool for studying the oxidative stability of nucleic-acid species and identifying important oxidation products (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Trac-Trends in Analytical Chemistry 2015 70:100-111