Influence of the structural organization of nucleic acids on the interaction with hypochlorite: ATPP, PolyA and DNA

The action of hypochlorite on various biological molecules in a living cell has been actively studied for years. However, the influence of the structural organization of nucleic acids on their interaction with hypochlorite remains underinvestigated. In this work, using ultraviolet and infrared spectroscopy, we analyzed the effect of the structure of nucleic acids on the reaction with hypochlorite using the example of the three most common and biologically significant types of nucleic acids (NA): double-stranded DNA in the B-form, single-stranded RNA, and nucleotide phosphates. It was found that the rate of the initial stage of the reaction of hypochlorite with endocyclic nitrogen atoms depends on the presence/absence of base pairing in the NA structure. At the same time, the polymeric structure of NC significantly accelerates and increases the efficiency of the subsequent stages of the reaction associated with the chlorination of exocyclic nitrogen atoms and the destruction of the ring structure of nitrogenous bases.