Abstract
IT has been demonstrated that the free nucleic acid bases, adenine and cytosine, are deaminated in dilute aqueous solutions by ionizing radiation1,2. Neglecting ring destruction reactions, the deaminated analogues (hypoxanthine and uracil) are among the chief products of the radiolyses of these bases; this suggests a mechanism for mutagenesis induced by radiation. It is known that the dilute nitrous acid treatment of the free bases, adenine, guanine or cytosine, leads to the production of the corresponding hydroxyl compounds, hypoxanthine, xanthine and uracil? respectively3,4. Nitrous acid treatment of intact tobacco mosaic virus actually results in the formation of mutants5. In addition, alteration of the amino-acid sequence in the protein of the mutant virus has been demonstrated6. Deaminations induced by radiation should play the same part as deaminations induced by nitrous acid.
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