Assay for nucleoside and nucleotide binding of a potent mutagen, 3-chloro-4-(dichloromethyl)-5-hydroxy-2(5H)-furanone.

Deoxyadenosine, deoxyguanosine, deoxycytidine; thymidine and a dinucleotide, 2'-deoxycytidylyl-(3'-5')-2'-deoxythymidine (dCdT), were reacted with 3-chloro-4-(dichloromethyl)-5-hydroxy-2(5H)-furanone (MX). Nucleoside HPLC analysis revealed that the major products are the degradation products of MX and no stable MX-adducts were found. The same result was obtained with sodium borohydride reduction. The fluorescence spectra of deoxyguanosine-MX showed no fluorescence at neutral or alkaline pH, indicating no binding products to the N2-groups of deoxyguanosine.