WAVELENGTH DEPENDENCE FOR AMT CROSSLINKING OF pBR322 DNA

The wavelength dependence for 4′aminomethyl‐4,5′,8‐trimethylpsoralen crosslinking of a linearized plasmid DNA (pBR322) by narrow band UV‐A light (298–382 nm) has been determined. Maximal levels of crosslinking occurred with light in the 322–346 nm range. Crosslinks were shown to be photoreversible by shorter wavelength photons (298 and 310 nm). The correlation between the wavelength dependence for crosslink formation and the optimal wavelength for most psoralen action spectra further supports the notion that crosslinks are the major lesion responsible for the effectiveness of psoralen plus ultraviolet A therapies.