The alpha-anomer of deoxyadenosine (alpha-dA) is a major adenine lesion produced by hydroxyl radicals in DNA. To assess its biochemical effects on DNA replication, alpha-dA was site-specifically incorporated into oligodeoxyribonucleotide templates using phosphoramidite chemistry. alpha-dA in the template constituted a transient block to DNA synthesis catalyzed by Escherichia coli DNA polymerase I Klenow fragment (polI), but translesional synthesis occurred after prolonged incubation. Primer extension assays and Maxam-Gilbert sequencing of newly synthesized products revealed that alpha-dA directed not only incorporation of the correct nucleotide, dTMP, opposite the lesion but also misincorporation of dAMP and dCMP. dGMP was barely incorporated under these conditions. The order of the incorporation frequency at the alpha-dA site was affected by the nearest neighbor base pair 3' to the lesion. T7 and Taq DNA polymerases, as well as RAV-2 reverse transcriptase, showed a selectivity similar to that of PolI with respect to the nucleotide incorporation opposite alpha-dA, suggesting that the discrimination of nucleotides associated with alpha-dA is independent of the origin of DNA polymerases and is an intrinsic feature of the lesion. The mutational spectrum predicted for alpha-dA (i.e., A-->G transitions and A-->T transversions) is significantly different from those reported for other hydroxyl radical induced DNA lesions such as abasic sites or 7,8-dihydro-8-oxoguanine, both primarily directing misincorporation of A. Possible biological consequences and the mechanism of dNTP discrimination associated with alpha-dA are discussed.