Andrea A Greschner, Xavier Ropagnol, Mohamed Kort, Nabilah Zuberi, Jonathan Perreault, Luca Razzari, Tsuneyuki Ozaki, Marc A Gauthier
Recent observations have suggested that non-ionizing radiation in the microwave and terahertz (THz; far infrared) regimes could have an effect on double-stranded DNA (dsDNA). These observations are of significance owing to the omnipresence of microwave emitters in our daily lives (e.g., food preparation, telecommunication, wireless internet) and the increasing prevalence of THz emitters for imaging (e.g., concealed weapon detection in airports, screening skin cancer) and communication technologies. By examining multiple DNA nanostructures as well as two plasmid DNA, microwaves were shown to promote the repair and assembly of DNA nanostructures and single-stranded regions of plasmid DNA, while intense THz pulses had the opposite effect (in particular for short dsDNA)...
February 1, 2019: Journal of the American Chemical Society