Non-Canonical GC Base Pairs and Mechanochemical Cleavage of DNA
Properties of non-canonical GC Base Pairs and their relation with mechanochemical cleavage of DNA are analyzed. A hypothesis of the involvement of the Transient GC Wobble Base Pairs in the mechanisms of the mechanochemical cleavage of DNA and epigenetic mechanisms with participation of 5-methylcytosine is proposed. The hypothesis explains the increase in the frequency of the breaks of the sugar-phosphate backbone of DNA after cytosines, asymmetric character of these breaks, and an increase in the frequency of breaks in CpG after cytosine methylation.
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