Reactions of the carcinogen N-acetoxy-4-acetamidostilbene with polynucleotides in vitro.

N-Acetoxy-4-acetamidostilbene (N-AcO-AAS) has been shown to react with mononucleosides to give numerous alkylation products [1]. In this work, homopolynucleotides, RNA and DNA were treated with N-[beta-14 C]-AcO-AAS, washed, degraded with S1 nuclease and acid phosphatase, and chromatographed on Sephadex LH-20. RNA prepared in vitro with 14C on cytosine, adenine or guanine was treated with non-radioactive N-AcO-AAS, then digested and chromatographed similarly. By this means, many of the adducts rising from nucleoside reactions were shown to result from treatment of nucleic acids with the same carcinogen, as well as a number of products which have not been matched to products of monomer alkylation. Labeled 1-(4-acetamidophenyl)-2-phenyl-1, 2-ethanediol was detected in the digest of RNA treated with radioactive N-AcO-AAS, suggesting that phosphate alkylation had taken place.