Abstract: Electrophoresis, chromatography, immunoassay, sequencing and other time consuming approaches have been developed to determine DNA base mismatching, oxidative lesion or strand breaks. Sometimes, however, only qualitative information is enough to decide whether mutation has happened to DNA and its extent. Convolution spectrometry (CS), a new technique to discover ultrafine difference on ultraviolet (UV) absorption of different substances, is originally employed to find out any subtle mutation of DNA induced by UV radiation. Mutative DNA is compared with ego criteria based on the spectra of the former DNA, any difference is quantitatively expressed by dispersion (δ). Visible changes cannot be observed on second -derivative spectra until the mutation gets δ up to 11.48%. Dimethyl sulfoxide is an intensifier of UV 254 nm induced DNA mutation and protector at 365 nm, which is simply confirmed by increasing and decreasing δ. Every convolution procedure takes less than 1 min. Convolution spectrometry provides a fast, simple, sensitive and inexpensive alternative to determine DNA mutation, and to screen anti-mutational medicines.

Key words: Convolution spectrometry, DNA mutation, Drug screening