TY - RPRT A1 - Hahn, Marc Benjamin A1 - Sturm, Heinz A1 - Bier, F A1 - Solomun, Tihomir T1 - Biologische Konsequenzen einer nanoskaligen Energiedeposition: Fokussierung auf die Rolle niederenergetischer Elektronen T1 - Biological Consequence of Nanoscale Energy Deposition: Focusing on the Role of Low-Energy Electrons N2 - Bei der Behandlung von Krebs mittels Strahlentherapie sollen Tumorzellen abgetötet werden ohne das umliegende gesunde Gewebe zu zerstören. Um Strahlentherapien für Patienten verträglicher zu machen, ist ein besseres Verständnis der zugrundeliegenden Prozesse auf der molekularen Ebene nötig. Dabei sind der Energieeintrag und die Streuprozesse der Strahlung in der Umgebung der DNA von besonderem Interesse. Durch Streuung von hochenergetischer Strahlung in Wasser werden besonders viele Sekundärelektronen mit niedriger Energie erzeugt. Zur Untersuchung der Schädigungseffizienz dieser Elektronen wurde ein Verfahren zur direkten Bestrahlung von Lösungen mittels Elektronen variabler Energien enwtickelt. Dies wurde durch einen neu entwickelten Probenhalter mit einer für Elektronen durchlässigen Nanomembran ermöglicht. Mit diesem können Bestrahlungen an DNA, Proteinen, und Zellen bei verschiedenen pH-Werten oder Salzkonzentrationen durchgeführt werden. Parallel dazu wurde der ortsabhängige Energieeintrag innerhalb des Wassers durch Elektronenstreusimulationen bestimmt. Diese neuartige Kombination von Experiment und Simulation ermöglicht die Bestimmung der Schaden-Dosis-Relation für Elektronenbestrahlung von biologischen Systemen unter realistischen physiologischen Bedingungen. So konnten für die genutzten Primärelektronen wie die mittlere letale Dosis, bei der 50 Prozent der DNA geschädigt sind, mit 1,7 Gy bestimmt. Ebenfalls wurde das für mikrodosimetrische Modellierungen und Betrachtungen der sogenannten Linear energy transfer (LET) Effekte, wichtige Verhältnis von DNA Einzelstrangbrüchen (SSB) zu Doppelstrangbrüchen (DSB) als SSB/DSB = 12/1 bestimmt. Mit Hilfe eines Modells für das Targetvolumen der DNA wurde der mittlere mikroskopische letale Energieeintrag berechnet als E1/2 = 6 ± 4 eV . Es wurde gefolgert, dass weniger als zwei Ionisationsprozesse im sensitiven Targetvolumen der DNA im Mittel zu einem Einzelstrangbruch führen. Diese Methode ist unabhängig von den Primärpartikel und geometrischen Bedingungen. Deshalb ermöglicht sie die Vergleichbarkeit experimenteller Systeme mit inhomogenen Energieverteilungen, welches sonst nicht gegeben ist. Des weiteren wurden die Strahlenschutzfunktionen des Zellschutzmoleküls Ectoines und sein Einfluss auf Wasser und Biomoleküle untersucht. Seine Schutzfunktion gegen ionisierende Strahlung wurde auf die Erhöhung des Streuquerschnitts niederenergetischer Elektronen und seine Eigenschaft als OH-Radikalfänger zurückgeführt. Aufbauend auf unseren Erkenntnissen finden in klinischen Arbeitsgruppen Untersuchungen zu Einsatzmöglichkeiten im Umfeld der Strahlentherapie statt. Projektkennung Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Projektnummer 245767821 N2 - To cure cancer radiation therapy is used to kill tumor cells. It is based on radiation induced damage to biomolecules. Here DNA damage is of key interest due to its central role in apoptosis and mutation. Because of the high amount of water in biological tissue, most of the damage is caused by the secondary particles produced by the inelastic scattering of ionizing radiation and water. A detailed understanding of the underlying molecular processes under physiological conditions is the prerequisite to develop more efficient the-rapies. Therefore irradiations have to be performed in liquid, under consideration of the chemical environment. To make it possible to irradiate liquids with electrons within scanning electron microscopes a new sample holder was constructed incorporating an electron transparent nanomembrane. It makes it possible to irradiate DNA, proteins or cells at different pH and salinity. The median lethal dose for a model system of plasmid DNA and water was determined by the combination of experimental data, particle scattering simulations (Geant4-DNA) and diffusion calculations as D1/2 = 1.7 ± 0.3 Gy. From the convolution of plasmid positions and the spatially resolved energy deposit, as determined by electron scattering simulations, the histogram of the energy deposit within the target volume of the plasmids and the microscopic median lethal energy deposit was calculated as E1/2 = 6 ± 4 eV . It could be deduced, that on average less than two ionization Events are sufficient to cause a single-strand-break. The relation of single-strand-breaks (SSB) to double-strand-breaks (DSB), which is of importance for microdosimetric modeling, was determined as SSB : DSB = 12 : 1. The presented method for the Determination of microscopic dose-damage relations was further extended to be applicable for General irradiation experiments. It is independent of the type of primary radiation used, the experimental geometry, and the diffusional properties of the molecules under investigation. This way different experimental systems with varying, inhomogeneous energy deposit characteristics become comparable with each other, which is not possible when only macroscopic averaged values are taken into account. In addition, the radiation protection properties of the compatible solute Ectoine was investigated. The protective properties of ectoine result from the increase of the inelastic scattering probabilities of low Energy electrons at the acoustic vibrational modes of water and its properties as OH-radical scavenger. Based on our results, further investigations are conducted to evaluate the application of Ectoine in the context of radiation therapy. Projektkennung Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Projektnummer 245767821 KW - Ectoin KW - Ectoine KW - DNS KW - DNA KW - Cancer therapy KW - DNA damage KW - DNA radiation damage KW - Dosimetry KW - DFG KW - Electron irradiation KW - Ectoine DNA interaction KW - Ectoine radiation protection KW - Hydroxyl radicals KW - OH radicals KW - LEE KW - Low energy electrons KW - Microdosimetry KW - Radiation KW - Geant4 KW - Geant4-DNA KW - Radiation therapy KW - LET PY - 2021 UR - https://gepris.dfg.de/gepris/projekt/245767821/ergebnisse?context=projekt&task=showDetail&id=245767821&selectedSubTab=2& SP - 1 EP - 14 AN - OPUS4-52389 LA - deu AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Solomun, Tihomir A1 - Sturm, Heinz T1 - Bringing electrons and microarray technology together JF - The Journal of physical chemistry / B Letters N2 - Low-energy secondary electrons are the most abundant radiolysis species which are thought to be able to attach to and damage DNA via formation and decay of localized molecular resonances involving DNA components. In this study, we analyze the consequences of low-energy electron impact on the ability of DNA to hybridize (i.e., to form the duplex). Specifically, single-stranded thymine DNA oligomers tethered to a gold surface are irradiated with very low-energy electrons (E = 3 eV, which is below the 7.5 eV ionization threshold of DNA) and subsequently exposed to a dye-marked complementary strand to quantify by a fluorescence method the electron induced damage. The damage to (dT)25 oligomers is detected at quite low electron doses with only about 300 electrons per oligomer being sufficient to completely preclude its hybridization. In the microarray format, the method can be used for a rapid screening of the sequence dependence of the DNA-electron interaction. We also show for the first time that the DNA reactions at surfaces can be imaged by secondary electron (SE) emission with both high analytical and spatial sensitivity. The SE micrographs indicate that strand breaks induced by the electrons play a significant role in the reaction mechanism. KW - Low energy electrons KW - DNA hybridization KW - Low voltage SEM KW - Fluorescence PY - 2007 DO - https://doi.org/10.1021/jp075338v SN - 1520-6106 SN - 1089-5647 VL - 111 IS - 36 SP - 10636 EP - 10638 PB - Soc. CY - Washington, DC AN - OPUS4-15840 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Hahn, Marc Benjamin A1 - Meyer, Susann A1 - Schröter, Maria-Astrid A1 - Seitz, H. A1 - Kunte, Hans-Jörg A1 - Solomun, Tihomir A1 - Sturm, Heinz T1 - Direct electron irradiation of DNA in fully aqueous environment. Damage determination in combination with Monte Carlo simulations JF - Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics N2 - We report on a study in which plasmid DNA in water was irradiated with 30 keV electrons generated by a scanning electron microscope and passed through a 100 nm thick Si3N4 membrane. The corresponding Monte Carlo simulations suggest that the kinetic energy spectrum of the electrons throughout the water is dominated by low energy electrons (<100 eV). The DNA radiation damage, single-strand breaks (SSB) and double-strand breaks (DSB), was determined by electrophoresis. The median lethal dose of D1/2 = 1.7 ± 0.3 Gy was found to be much smaller compared to partially or fully hydrated DNA irradiated under vacuum conditions. The ratio of DSB to SSB was found to be (1:12) as compared to 1:88) found for hydrated DNA. Our method enables quantitative measurements of radiation damage to biomolecules (DNA, proteins) in solutions under varying conditions (pH, salinity, cosolutes) for an electron energy range which is difficult to probe by standard methods. KW - Plasmid DNA in water KW - Monte Carlo simulation KW - Low energy electrons KW - DNA radiation damage KW - Single-strand break (SSB) KW - Double-strand break (DSB) KW - Lethal dose KW - Radiation damage to biomolecules KW - Solutions (pH, salinity, cosolutes) PY - 2017 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-386981 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/C6CP07707B SN - 1463-9076 SN - 1463-9084 VL - 19 IS - 3 SP - 1798 EP - 1805 PB - Royal Society of Chemistry AN - OPUS4-38698 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Solomun, Tihomir A1 - Seitz, H. A1 - Sturm, Heinz T1 - DNA damage by low-energy electron impact: dependence on guanine content JF - The Journal of physical chemistry / B Letters KW - DNA oligonucleotide KW - Low energy electrons KW - Secondary electrons KW - Damage KW - Guanine content PY - 2009 DO - https://doi.org/10.1021/jp905263x SN - 1520-6106 SN - 1089-5647 VL - 113 IS - 34 SP - 11557 EP - 11559 PB - Soc. CY - Washington, DC AN - OPUS4-20704 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Hahn, Marc Benjamin A1 - Susann, Meyer A1 - Schröter, Maria-Astrid A1 - Kunte, Hans-Jörg A1 - Solomun, Tihomir A1 - Sturm, Heinz T1 - DNA protection by ectoine from ionizing radiation: molecular mechanisms JF - Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics N2 - Ectoine, a compatible solute and osmolyte, is known to be an effective protectant of biomolecules and whole cells against heating, freezing and extreme salinity. Protection of cells (human keratinocytes) by ectoine against ultraviolet radiation has also been reported by various authors, although the underlying mechanism is not yet understood. We present the first electron irradiation of DNA in a fully aqueous environment in the presence of ectoine and at high salt concentrations. The results demonstrate effective protection of DNA by ectoine against the induction of single-strand breaks by ionizing radiation. The effect is explained by an increase in low-energy electron scattering at the enhanced free-vibrational density of states of water due to ectoine, as well as the use of ectoine as an ˙OH-radical scavenger. This was demonstrated by Raman spectroscopy and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR). KW - Ectoine KW - DNA KW - Radiation protection KW - Ionizing radiation KW - Compatible solute KW - Biomolecules KW - Sodium chloride KW - Aqueous solution KW - Hydroxyectoine KW - Raman spectroscopy KW - Electron irradiation KW - Cancer KW - Radical scavenger KW - Low energy electrons KW - Hydroxyl radical KW - OH-radical KW - Ectoin KW - UV radiation KW - Sun KW - Salt KW - Radiation therapy PY - 2017 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-419332 UR - http://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlehtml/2017/cp/c7cp02860a DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/C7CP02860A SN - 1463-9076 VL - 19 IS - 37 SP - 25717 EP - 25722 PB - Royal Society of Chemistry CY - United Kingdom AN - OPUS4-41933 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Hahn, Marc Benjamin A1 - Meyer, Susann A1 - Kunte, Hans-Jörg A1 - Solomun, Tihomir A1 - Sturm, Heinz T1 - Measurements and simulations of microscopic damage to DNA in water by 30 keV electrons: A general approach applicable to other radiation sources and biological targets JF - Physical Review E N2 - The determination of the microscopic dose-damage relationship for DNA in an aqueous environment is of a fundamental interest for dosimetry and applications in radiation therapy and protection. We combine geant4 particle-scattering simulations in water with calculations concerning the movement of biomolecules to obtain the energy deposit in the biologically relevant nanoscopic volume. We juxtaposition these results to the experimentally determined damage to obtain the dose-damage relationship at a molecular level. This approach is tested for an experimentally challenging system concerning the direct irradiation of plasmid DNA (pUC19) in water with electrons as primary particles. Here a microscopic target model for the plasmid DNA based on the relation of lineal energy and radiation quality is used to calculate the effective target volume. It was found that on average fewer than two ionizations within a 7.5-nm radius around the sugar-phosphate backbone are sufficient to cause a single strand break, with a corresponding median lethal energy deposit being E1/2=6±4 eV. The presented method is applicable for ionizing radiation (e.g., γ rays, x rays, and electrons) and a variety of targets, such as DNA, proteins, or cells. KW - DNA KW - Radiation damage KW - Dosimetry KW - DNA radiation damage KW - Single-strand break (SSB) KW - Double-strand break (DSB) KW - Low energy electrons KW - Monte Carlo simulation KW - Radiation damage to biomolecules KW - Plasmid DNA in water KW - Lethal dose KW - Solutions (pH, salinity, cosolutes) KW - Geant4 KW - Microdosimetry PY - 2017 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-404244 DO - https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.95.052419 SN - 2470-0045 SN - 2470-0053 VL - 95 IS - 5 SP - 052419-1 EP - 052419-8 PB - American Physical Society CY - USA AN - OPUS4-40424 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Hahn, Marc Benjamin A1 - Solomun, Tihomir A1 - Sturm, Heinz T1 - Standard procedure for the irradiation of biomolecules with radiation of different linear energy transfer T2 - Proceedings of International Radiation Protection Association Conference 2018 America N2 - The damage caused by ionizing radiation to DNA and proteins is the reason to treat cancer by radiation therapy. A better understanding of the molecular processes and quantification of the different damaging mechanisms is the prerequisite to develop more efficient therapies. Hereby the understanding of the processes involved in the damage to DNA are of key interest due to its central role in reproduction and mutation. For radiation with low linear energy transfer (LET), most of the damage is caused by the secondary particles produced by scattering of the ionizing radiation with water. Thereby a multitude of species are produced, whereby especially kinetic low energy electrons, prehydrated electrons, OH-radicals and ions are of importance. With higher LET the relative amount of the direct damaging effects increases. This is especially important considering the increased usage of high LET nucleons in radiation therapy. Therefore, the quantification of the contribution to DNA damage of direct and indirect effects and the different secondary species is of high interest due to the increase of radio biological efficiency when applying high LET radiation. Here we present an approach to investigate the relative contributions to DNA strand break yield for radiation of different LET within a single electron microscope in combination with electron scattering simulations. T2 - XI International Radiation Protection Association Conference 2018 America CY - Havanna, Cuba DA - 16.04.2018 KW - Dosimetry KW - Linear energy transfer KW - Radiation damage KW - LET KW - Electron irradiation KW - Low energy electrons KW - Hydroxyl radicals KW - DEA KW - DET KW - Microdosimetry KW - Geant4 KW - Electron irradiation of DNA KW - DNA PY - 2018 VL - 2018 SP - 1 EP - 5 AN - OPUS4-44848 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -