Computer simulation shows buckyballs ...( or when alcohol is added the DNA struc...),Health

The researchers found that buckyballs docked on the minor groove of "A" DNA, bending the molecule and deforming the stacking angles of the base pairs in contact with it. The simulations also showed that buckyballs can penetrate the free end of "A" form DNA and permanently break the hydrogen bonds between the end base pair of nucleotides.

As expected, the buckyballs bound most strongly to single helix DNA, causing the most deformation and damage. While buckyballs did bind to "B" form double-strand DNA, the binding did not affect the overall shape of the DNA molecule. More research needed

What the researchers don't know is whether these worrisome binding events will take place in the body. "Earlier studies have shown both that buckyballs can migrate into bodily tissues and can penetrate cell membranes," Cummings says. "We don't know whether they can penetrate a cell nucleus and reach the DNA stored there. What this study shows is that if the buckyballs can get into the nucleus they could cause real problems. What are needed now are experimental and theoretical studies to demonstrate whether they can actually get there. Because the toxicity of nanomaterials like buckyballs is not well known at this point, they are regarded in the laboratory as potentially very hazardous, and treated accordingly."

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Contact: Vivian Cooper
vivian.f.cooper-capps@vanderbilt.edu
615-343-6314
Vanderbilt University
6-Dec-2005