How do X-rays affect DNA?

Answer 1

To understand this one, let's start with gamma rays. Gamma rays are high energy electromagnetic radiation. They are just like visible light, only higher in frequency and energy. And these rays have the ability to penetrate materials. Gamma rays are the highest energy electromagnetic radiation, and they originate with atomic nuclei and with nuclear processes, like nuclear decay associated with radioactive (unstable) atoms.

We know that DNA is a long string of complex biochemical material. These chemical structures are held together largely by covalent chemical bonds. A characteristic of a covalent bond is that it is not as strong as an ionic bond, and can be attacked and broken by outside forces. Heat (thermal energy) can break the covalent bonds of biochemical materials, and so can electromagnetic radiation.

Gamma rays whizz through biochemical materials and "add energy" to bonds between atoms as they pass. This added energy breaks the chemical bonds at that point. That gamma ray can move onward and break more bonds as it goes. This is the nature of the damage caused by gamma radiation. Cells have the ability to repair chemical damage to some degree, but the "machine" that directs the operation of the cell is the DNA. If it is damaged, the cell has a difficult time repairing it. It may not be able to, and the cell may die without its

"complete" DNA to operate it.

Large scale irradiation by gamma rays can cause serious injury or can be lethal. You can see where an individual presenting at a hospital with radiation sickness from gamma rays will find that there is little that can be done to help him. There is no medication that can administered to allow cells to repair themselves from the inside out if these cells have suffered damage to their DNA. At some point, "too many" cells have been damaged and a person will not survive a gamma radiation dose.

All ionizing radiation (not just gamma rays) damage nucleic acids by ionizing parts of it, producing what are called chemical radicals. The radicals then try to neutralize their charge which can result in many effects, some are:

• breaks in the nucleic acid chain
• changes in bases in the nucleic acid
• addition/removal of methyl groups that control gene expression
• etc.

Damage to nucleic acids can also occur indirectly by the ionizing radiation ionizing other molecules near the nucleic acids, producing chemical radicals that that attack the nucleic acids while trying to neutralize their charge.

Answer 2

High energy particles can dislodge an electron from its orbit - perhaps permanently.

The chemical nature of an atom is determined by the electron configuration, primarily in the outer shell. If an electron is lost, the chemical is different. If the atom is ionized, it may form inappropriate bonds with other atoms.

If the chemical is part of your DNA, there is a sporting chance that it will self-repair, for that is the nature of DNA. But there is also a chance that it might not self-repair. This is what a mutation is.

But if the mutation above, set in chain a cell multiplying action, a cancer will result. Cancers, once started, may metastasize - spread to other organs in the body.

Answer 3

These high energy rays act on cells by disrupting the electrons of atoms within the molecules inside cells, disrupting cell functions, and most importantly stop their ability to divide and make new cells

Answer 4

X-Rays malform DNA by damaging it's structure. In a developing embryo, they can be especially harmful, interfering with cell division by affecting the cloning of DNA.

Answer 5

X-rays can damage DNA by breaking the bonds between DNA molecules, causing mutations. These mutations can lead to cell death, loss of cell function, or potentially cancer if not repaired properly.