Oxidative Deformylation of the Predominant DNA Lesion 5-Formyl-2′-deoxyuridine

Radical oxidation of DNA gives rise to potentially deleterious lesions such as strand breaks and various nucleobase modifications including 5-formyl-2′-deoxyuridine (5-fo-dU), a prevalent product derived from the oxidation of the C5-methyl group of thymidine. The present study investigates the unusual transformation of 5-fo-dU into 5-hydroxy-2′-deoxyuridine (5-oh-dU) and 5,6-dihydroxy-5,6-dihydro-2′-deoxuridine (gly-dU), two products typically associated with the oxidation of 2′-deoxycytidine. Detailed mechanistic analyses reveal that hydrogen peroxide, either generated as a byproduct of ascorbate autoxidation or added exogenously, mediates the formation of these oxidatively induced C5-dealkylated products. We show that the major product 5-oh-dU results from a Baeyer–Villiger rearrangement of the formyl functionality of 5-fo-dU while the minor product gly-dU derives from α,β-oxidation of the enal portion followed by deformylation. These reactions were observed in both 2′-deoxynucleoside monomers as well as isolated DNA. Our findings further clarify the oxidation chemistry of thymidine and highlight a novel oxidative decomposition pathway that can help understand the fate of certain types of DNA damage. Furthermore, our results underscore the pro-oxidant properties of ascorbate in vitro that can lead to the adventitious oxidation of substrates via the reduction of trace metals ions and generation of hydrogen peroxide.