Remote reductive repair of thymine dimers in a DNA duplex by transfer of excess electrons over a distance of up to roughly 24 Å (n=7) has been attributed to thermally activated hopping (see scheme). Possible consequences for humans: the harmful effect of UV irradiation responsible for the development of skin cancer could potentially be reduced by compounds that bind to DNA and trigger long-range electron transport.
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Behrens et al. (2002) studied this question.
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