Mass Spectral Library for DNA Adductomics

Endogenous electrophiles, ionizing and non-ionizing radiation,
and hazardous chemicals present in the environment and diet can damage
DNA by forming covalent adducts. DNA adducts can form in critical
cancer driver genes and, if not repaired, may induce mutations during
cell division, potentially leading to the onset of cancer. The detection
and quantification of specific DNA adducts are some of the first steps
in studying their role in carcinogenesis, the physiological conditions
that lead to their production, and the risk assessment of exposure
to specific genotoxic chemicals. Hundreds of different DNA adducts
have been reported in the literature, and there is a critical need
to establish a DNA adduct mass spectral database to facilitate the
detection of previously observed DNA adducts and characterize newly
discovered DNA adducts. We have collected synthetic DNA adduct standards
from the research community, acquired MSn (n = 2, 3) fragmentation spectra using Orbitrap
and Quadrupole-Time-of-Flight (Q-TOF) MS instrumentation, processed
the spectral data and incorporated it into the MassBank of North America
(MoNA) database, and created a DNA adduct portal Web site (https://sites.google.com/umn.edu/dnaadductportal) to serve as a central location for the DNA adduct mass spectra
and metadata, including the spectral database downloadable in different
formats. This spectral library should prove to be a valuable resource
for the DNA adductomics community, accelerating research and improving
our understanding of the role of DNA adducts in disease.