Skip to main content

A Neutral Glyoxal Gel Electrophoresis Method for the Detection and Semi-quantitation of DNA Single-Strand Breaks

  • Protocol
  • First Online:
DNA Electrophoresis

Part of the book series: Methods in Molecular Biology ((MIMB,volume 1054))

Abstract

Single-strand breaks are among the most prevalent lesions found in DNA. Traditional electrophoretic methods (e.g., the Comet assay) used for investigating these lesions rely on alkaline conditions to denature DNA prior to electrophoresis. However, the presence of alkali-labile sites in DNA can result in the introduction of additional single-strand breaks upon alkali treatment during DNA sample processing. Herein, we describe a neutral glyoxal gel electrophoresis assay which is based on alkali-free DNA denaturation and is suitable for qualitative and semi-quantitative analyses of single-strand breaks in DNA isolated from different organisms.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Protocol
USD 49.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 119.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Pitot HC, Dragan YP (1996) Chemical carcinogenesis. In: Klaassen CD (ed) Casarett and Doull’s toxicology, 5th edn. McGraw-Hill, New York, pp 201–267

    Google Scholar 

  2. Caldecott KW (2006) Mammalian single-strand break repair: mechanisms and links with chromatin. DNA Repair 6:443–453

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Georgiou C, Papapostolou I, Grizntzalis K (2009) Protocol for the quantitative assessment of DNA concentration and damage (fragmentation and nicks). Nat Protoc 4:125–131

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Anderson D, Plewa MJ (1998) The international comet assay workshop. Mutagenesis 13:67–73

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Luke AM et al (2010) Accumulation of true single strand breaks and AP sites in base excision repair deficient cells. Mutat Res 694:65–71

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. McMaster GK, Carmichael GG (1977) Analysis of single- and double-stranded nucleic acids on polyacrylamide and agarose gels by using glyoxal and acridine orange. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 74:4835–4838

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Drouin R, Gao S, Homquist GP (1996) Agarose gel electrophoresis for DNA damage analysis. In: Pfeifer GP (ed) Technologies for detection of DNA damage and mutations. Plenum Press, New York, pp 37–43

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  8. Lin P-H et al (2003) Aldehydic DNA lesions induced by catechol estrogens in calf thymus DNA. Carcinogenesis 24:1133–1141

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Rodriguez H et al (2003) Mapping of peroxyl radical induced damage on genomic DNA. Biochemistry 38:16578–16588

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Pachkowski BF et al (2009) Cells deficient in PARP-1 show an accelerated accumulation of DNA single strand breaks, but not AP sites, over the PARP-1-proficient cells exposed to MMS. Mutat Res 671:93–99

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Nakamura J, La DK, Swenberg JA (2000) 5′-Nicked apurinic/apyrimidinic sites are resistant to beta-elimination by beta-polymerase and are persistent in human cultured cells after oxidative stress. J Biol Chem 275:5323–5328

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Olive PL, Banath JP (2006) The comet assay: a method to measure DNA damage in individual cells. Nat Protoc 1:23–29

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This work was supported in part by National Institute of Environmental Health Science grants (P42-ES05948, P30-ES10126).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2013 Springer Science+Business Media, New York

About this protocol

Cite this protocol

Pachkowski, B., Nakamura, J. (2013). A Neutral Glyoxal Gel Electrophoresis Method for the Detection and Semi-quantitation of DNA Single-Strand Breaks. In: Makovets, S. (eds) DNA Electrophoresis. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 1054. Humana Press, Totowa, NJ. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-62703-565-1_8

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-62703-565-1_8

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Humana Press, Totowa, NJ

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-62703-564-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-62703-565-1

  • eBook Packages: Springer Protocols

Publish with us

Policies and ethics