Photosensitised pyrimidine dimerisation in DNA

Triplet-mediated pyrimidine (Pyr) dimerisation is a key process in photochemical damage to DNA. It may occur in the presence of a photosensitiser, provided that a number of requirements are fulfilled, such as favourable intersystem crossing quantum yield and high triplet energy. The attention has been mainly focused on cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers, as they are by far the most relevant Pyr photoproducts obtained by sensitisation. The present perspective deals with the involved chemistry, not only in DNA but also in its simple building blocks. It also includes the photophysical characterisation of the Pyr triplet excited states, as well as a brief discussion of the theoretical aspects.