# Development of a DNA Adductome Database

> **NIH NIH R03** · UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA · 2020 · $75,707

## Abstract

Abstract/Summary
The frequent exposure to chemicals in the environment, diet, endogenous electrophiles, and reactive oxygen
species leads to the chemical modification of DNA, resulting in the formation of DNA adducts. Some DNA
adducts can induce mutations during cell division, and when occurring in critical regions of the genome, can lead
to disease, including cancer. The targeted analysis of DNA adducts over the past 30 years has revealed that the
human genome contains a wide array of DNA adducts, many of which are attributed to life-style factors, such as
smoking, the eating of well-done cooked meats, or through oxidative stress. With the advancement of high-
resolution mass spectrometry instrumentation and new scanning technologies, untargeted “omics” approaches
have become available to simultaneously screen for multiple DNA adducts in a single assay. However, the
development of this emerging field of DNA adductomics is hindered by the lack of a publicly available mass
spectral database for DNA adduct identification and characterization. Our goal is to curate and develop a
comprehensive database of DNA adducts standards, obtained from international collaborators and commercial
sources. The database will be freely available and searchable by the public.
In Aim 1, we will establish an extensive collection of DNA adduct standards, via our domestic and international
collaborations and commercial sources. We will prioritize 2'-deoxyribonucleoside and nucleobase adducts
formed from environmental and dietary toxicants, and endogenous electrophiles, but also acquire modified RNA
adduct standards from the emerging field of RNA adductomics. We will collect high-resolution mass spectra of
these adduct standards via two commonly used mass spectrometer platforms, Orbitrap MS and Q-TOF MS.
Spectra of MS, MS2 and MS3 will be acquired at various collision energies to characterize adduct structures.
In Aim 2, we will develop an automated workflow to process MS2 and MS3 data to rapidly curate the spectra of
individual DNA adducts with annotation, which can be submitted to a repository using commonly available
software. The resulting spectral library will be freely available for download in common formats for
characterization of DNA adductome profiles by members of the research community.
The successful establishment of a validated DNA adduct mass spectral database in a searchable, reference
library is critical for the comprehensive analysis of DNA adductome profiles from cellular DNA, urine, and other
biological matrices. This database will facilitate the usage of DNA adductomics in human cohort studies and
advance our understanding of the relationships between external and internal exposures and disease risk.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10023262
- **Project number:** 5R03ES031188-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA
- **Principal Investigator:** Scott J Walmsley
- **Activity code:** R03 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $75,707
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-09-24 → 2022-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10023262

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10023262, Development of a DNA Adductome Database (5R03ES031188-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10023262. Licensed CC0.

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