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The duration of recovery and DNA repair in excision deficient derivatives of Escherichia coli K-12 after ultraviolet irradiation

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Our results indicate that cells of excision deficient (uvr) mutants of Escherichia coli K-12 which survive exposure to ultraviolet radiation may require several hours to complete their recovery. For example, the duration of the recovery period for cells exposed to 63 ergs mm-2 at 254 nm was about 5 hours, the equivalent of slightly more than 4 generations of the unirradiated controls. During the recovery period the rate of cell division was reduced (Figs. 3 and 4), the cells gradually regained resistance to complex medium (Figs. 1 and 3), and they became refractory to photoreactivation (Fig. 1). Over the same period of time their pattern of DNA synthesis changed. More intact molecules, similar to those found in unirradiated controls, and relatively fewer discontinuous molecules were synthesized (Figs. 6 and 7).

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Communicated by E. Witkin

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Ganesan, A.K., Smith, K.C. The duration of recovery and DNA repair in excision deficient derivatives of Escherichia coli K-12 after ultraviolet irradiation. Molec. Gen. Genet. 113, 285–296 (1971). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00272328

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00272328

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